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THE  LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY 
CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


OF 


T  OMO-CHI-CHI, 


MICO  OF  THE  YAMACBAWS. 


BY 


CHARLES  C.  JONES,  JR. 


"  FRAGMENTS  OP  A  FIRE   IMMORTAL, 
WITH  RUBBISH  MIXED,   AND  GLITTERING  IN  THE  DUST." 


ALBANY,    N.  Y.  : 
JOEL    MUNSELL 

1868. 


C3TJ- 


TO 


MY  WIFE, 


EVA.  BERRIEN  EVE. 


224863 


PREFACE. 


HE  rapid  development  of  states  as  well 
as  of  individuals  depends,  in  a  great  de- 
gree, upon  what  men  call  accident.  Du- 
ring monumental  epochs  and  at  certain 
marked  crises  when  the  shadows  of  doubt 
and  uncertainty  rest  upon  the  present 
and  darken  the  prospects  of  the  future, 
unlocked  for  and  favoring  influences  fre- 
quently intervene,  checking  the  opera- 
tion of  retarding  causes,  inspiring  hope, 
confirming  existence  and  fostering  growth.  Often  do  these  pro- 
pitious and  seemingly  fortuitous  agencies  prove  far  more  potent 
in  shaping  destiny,  inciting  action  and  encouraging  advance- 
ment than  the  natural  impulses  which  inhere  in  the  recognized 
laws  governing  progress. 

But  for  the  statue  of  Alexander  the  Great  at  Gades,  Julius 
Csesar  might  have  passed  his  life  in  further  Spain  an  obscure 
quaestor,  unknown  to  fame;  and,  deprived  of  the  friendship 
and  valuable  aid  of  Tomo-chi-chi,  the  infant  colony  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Savannah,  despite  the  energy  of  its  settlers  and 
the  experience  and  valor  of  their  governor,  would  have  been  at 
first  either  entirely  annihilated  or  most  materially  retarded  in 
its  development. 


vi  PREFACE. 

The  present  age  is  not  incurious  with  regard  to  the  memories, 
both  personal  and  organic,  of  the  American  Indians.  There  is 
a  growing  interest  manifested  in  all  that  can  throw  light  upon 
their  antiquities,  in  everything  which  furnishes  definite  inform- 
ation of  the  manners,  customs,  intellectual  traits,  moral  quali- 
ties and  personal  characteristics  of  the  various  tribes  and  their 
chief  men.  Thus,  day  by  day,  new  facts  are  ascertained,  old 
recollections  revived,  and  more  satisfactory  knowledge  acquired 
touching  those  who,  on  the  one  hand,  have  been  represented  as 
"  dark,  relentless,  cruel  and  murderous  in  the  last  degree,  with 
scarce  a  quality  to  stamp  their  existence  of  a  higher  order  than 
that  of  the  brutes ; "  and,  on  the  other,  have  been  invested  in 
their  characters  and  actions  with  all  that  is  dignified,  eloquent 
and  admirable  in  the  semi-civilized  state. 

In  the  following  sketch  we  have  endeavored  to  group  to- 
gether all  that  is  known  of  the  first,  the  noblest  and  the  most 
influential  friend  the  colony  of  Georgia  had  among  the  Red- 
men.  The  details  which  have  been  preserved,  illustrative  of 
the  life  and  character  of  this  aged  Mico,  are  few  and  unsatis- 
factory ;  and  yet  there  is  much  in  the  generosity  of  his  nature, 
in  the  fidelity  of  his  professions  and  acts,  in  the  wisdom  of  his 
views,  in  the  extreme  value  of  his  influence,  advice  and  example, 
in  the  dignity  of  his  behavior  and  in  the  guardianship  which 
he  exercised  over  that  feeble  and  isolated  colony,  which  enlists 
our  interest,  commands  our  sincere  respect  and  secures  our 
grateful  acknowledgments. 

The  founding  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  was  a  project  con- 
ceived in  a  spirit  of  genuine  philanthropy;  and  it  does  indeed 
appear  that  a  special  Providence,  regarding  the  enterprise  with 


PREFACE.  vii 

favoring  eye,  raised  up  from  out  the  depths  of  the  primeval 
forests  which  environed  the  new  plantation,  a  strong  arm  and 
a  generous  soul  to  aid  most  singularly  in  the  consummation  of 
the  doubtful  endeavor.  By  unseen,  and  to  human  eyes  unex- 
pected influences,  Tomo-chi-chi,  at  the  very  outset,  freely  and 
without  reward  consented  not  only  to  extend  to  the  colony  his 
personal  friendship  and  that  of  his  immediate  tribe,  the  Yama- 
craws,  but  also  to  secure  the  good-will  of  neighboring  and 
powerful  nations  whose  jealousy  and  opposition  might  otherwise 
have  been  easily  excited,  and  whose  animosities  and  positive 
hostilities  would,  beyond  all  question,  have  proved  most  disas- 
trous to  the  hopes  and  material  interests  of  the  settlers.  This 
action  on  his  part  seems  the  more  remarkable  when  we  remem- 
ber the  natural  sympathies  which  allied  him  to  his  people  and 
their  antipathies,  and  the  peculiar  trials  which  had  been  put 
upon  the  natives  by  rapacious  traders  from  Carolina  on  the  one 
hand,  and  designing  emissaries  from  the  Spaniards  in  Florida 
on] the  other. 

From  the  very  first  he  appears  to  have  appreciated  the  fact 
of  the  superior  power  of  the  white  race,  and  the  eventual  triumph 
of  the  civilization  which  it  enjoyed;  and  to  have  been  fully 
persuaded  that  in  an  alliance  with  and  not  in  opposition  to  the 
followers  of  that  civilization  rested  the  safest  hopes  of  his 
countrymen  for  protection  and  existence.  Impressed  with  such 
convictions  and  imbued  with  a  desire  for  personal  improvement 
and  tribal  development,  he  cheerfully  entered  into  pledges  of 
amity  which  were  on  all  occasions  faithfully  redeemed. 

In  conformity  with  his  expressed  wish  he  sleeps  in  the  heart 
of  the  city  of  Savannah,  and  although  no  monument  marks  the 


PREFACE. 

precise  spot  of  his  sepulture  in  the  public  square,  his  memory 
is  cherished  with  emotions  of  peculiar  pride  and  liveliest  grati- 
tude. Next  to  Oglethorpe,  Torno-chi-chi  was  the  truest  friend 
and  most  potent  protector  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  during  its 
primal  days  of  infancy  and  feebleness. 


NEW  YORK  CITY, 

November  9th,  1868. 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH 


CHAPTER  I. 

Reasons  for  establishing  the  Colony  of  Georgia  —  Settlement  at  Savan- 
nah—  Mr.  Oglethorpe  —  Early  History  of  Tomo-chi-chi  —  His  first 
interview  with  Mr.  Oglethorpe  —  Mary  Musgrove  —  Treaty  of 
Amity  and  Commerce  between  the  Colonists  and  the  Lower  Creeks, 
May  21st,  1733. 

HROUGH  the  personal  in- 
fluence and  untiring  exer- 
tions of  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
supported  by  the  coopera- 
tion of  wealthy  and  promi- 
nent associates,  letters  pat- 
ent were  obtained  from  the 
crown,  bearing  date  the  9th 
of  June,  1732,  constituting  and  appointing  John,  Lord 
Viscount  Purcival,  and  nineteen  gentlemen,  together 
with  their  successors,  "  Trustees  for  establishing  the 
colony  of  Georgia  in  America."1  The  purposed  Pro- 
vince was  called  in  honor  of  the  king,  during  whose 
reign  it  was  to  be  founded,  and  as  an  acknowledgment 
of  the  kindly  interest  arid  favor  with  which  his  majesty 
entertained  and  promoted  the  benevolent  project. 


1  See  charter  of  the  colony. 

2 


JO  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

Non  sibisedaliis,  was  adopted  as  the  motto  for  the  com- 
mon seal,  and  this  inscription  was  truly  indicative  of  the 
disinterested  motives  by  which  the  trustees  were  actu- 
ated. Mr.  Southey  did  not  indulge  in  the  language  of 
exaggeration  when  he  said  no  colony  was  ever  esta- 
blished upon  principles  more  honorable  to  its  projectors. 
In  urging  the  necessity  for  the  immediate  settlement 
of  the  plantation,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  stated  the  follow- 
ing, among  other  inducements,  which  should  influence 
early  emigration.  x "Let  us  cast  our  eyes  on  the  mul- 
titude of  unfortunate  people  in  this  kingdom,  of  repu- 
table families,  and  of  liberal  education,  some  undone 
by  guardians,  some  by  law-suits,  some  by  accidents  in 
commerce,  some  by  stocks  and  bubbles,  some  by 
suretyship;  but  all  agree  in  this  one  circumstance  that 
they  must  either  be  burdensome  to  their  relations  or 
betake  themselves  to  little  shifts  for  sustenance,  which, 
it  is  ten  to  one,  do  not  answer  their  purposes,  and  to 
which  a  well  educated  person  descends  with  the 
utmost  constraint.  These  are  the  persons  that  may 
relieve  themselves,  and  strengthen  Georgia  by  resort- 
ing thither,  and  Great  Britain  by  their  departure. 

With  a  view  to  the  relief  of  people  in  the  condition 
I  have  described,  his  majesty  has,  the  present  year,  in- 
corporated a  considerable  number  of  persons  of  quality 
and  distinction,  and  invested  a  large  tract  of  South 
Carolina  in  them,  by  the  name  of  Georgia,  in  trust  to 
be  distributed  among  the  necessitous.  Those  trustees 
not  only  give  land  to  the  unhappy  who  go  thither,  but 
are  also  empowered  to  receive  the  voluntary  contribu- 
tions of  charitable  persons  to  enable  them  to  furnish 
the  poor  adventurers  with  all  necessaries  for  the  expense 


1  New  and  Accurate  Account  of  tJte  Provinces  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CIII.  11 

of  the  voyage,  occupying  the  land,  and  supporting  them 
until  they  find  themselves  settled.  So  that  now  the 
unfortunate  will  not  be  obliged  to  bind  themselves  to  a 
long  service  to  pay  for  their  passage,  for  they  may  be 
carried  gratis  into  a  land  of  liberty  and  plenty,  where 
they  will  immediately  find  themselves  in  possession  of 
a  competent  estate,  in  a  happier  climate  than  they 
knew  before ;  and  they  are  unfortunate  indeed  if  they 
cannot  forget  their  sorrows." 

The  specific  territory  set  apart  for  colonization  was 
thus  described  in  the  charter;  "  all  those  lands,  country 
and  territories  situate,  lying  and  being  in  that  part  of 
South  Carolina,  in  America,  which  lies  from  the  most 
northern  part  of  a  stream  or  river  there,  commonly 
called  the  Savannah,  all  along  the  sea-coast  to  the  south- 
ward, to  the  southern  stream  of  a  certain  other  great 
water  or  river  called  the  Alatamaha,  and  westwardly 
from  the  heads  of  the  said  rivers  respectively  in  direct 
lines  to  the  south  seas ;  and  all  that  share,  circuit  and 
precinct  of  land  within  the  said  boundaries,  with  the 
islands  on  the  sea  lying  opposite  to  the  eastern  coast  of 
the  said  lands,  within  twenty  leagues  of  the  same, 
which  are  not  inhabited  already,  or  settled  by  any 
authority  derived  from  the  crown  of  Great  Britain."  l 

It  was  confidently  anticipated  that  the  successful 
founding  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  would  most  materi- 
ally promote  the  security,  and  confirm  the  existence  of 
the  province  of  South  Carolina;  forming,  as  it  would, 
a  bulwark  between  that  province  and  the  Spanish 
settlements  in  Florida.  The  authorities  in  Carolina 
expressed  their  warmest  sympathies,  and  extended 
assistance  during  trying  periods  when  the  most  trifling 
contributions  were  of  the  utmost  consequence. 


1  See  charter  of  the  colony. 


12  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  mutual  protection  which  these  small  states 
would  afford,  the  one  to  the  other,  and  the  gentle 
union  which  would  grow  up  between  them,  were  fore- 
shadowed in  the  following  lines  : 

"  To  Carolina  be  a  Georgia  join'd  ! 
Then  shall  both  colonies  sure  progress  make  : 
Endear'd  to  either  for  the  other's  sake  : 
Georgia  shall  Caroline's  protection  move, 
And  Carolina  bloom  by  George's  love."  ' 

On  the  6th  of  November,  1732,  thirty-five  families, — 
comprising  in  the  aggregate  one  hundred  and  twenty 
persons,  men,  women,  and  children, — embarked  on 
board  the  "  Anne  "  at  Gravesend.  Composed  in  large 
measure  of  carpenters,  brick-layers  and  farmers  accus- 
tomed to  vigorous  manual  occupations,  instructed  in 
the  military  training  of  the  guards,  and  furnished  with 
muskets,  bayonets  and  swords  with  which  to  defend 
themselves  against  anticipated  attacks  from  the  In- 
dians, these  men,  with  their  wives  and  children,  had 
been  selected  by  the  trustees  as  the  first  settlers  of  the 
colony  of  Georgia.  The  little  galley  of  about  two 
hundred  tons,  in  which  they  were  to  cross  the  Atlantic, 
was  generously  supplied  with  such  agricultural  imple- 
ments and  mechanical  tools  as  were  deemed  requisite 
for  subduing  the  native  wilds  of  the  untrodden  region 
which  was  soon  to  become  the  permanent  abode  of 
these  industrious  adventurers.  The  liberality  of  the 
supervisors  left  nothing  to  be  desired  in  the  matter  of 
provisions,  which  included  "  ten  tuns  of  Alderman  Par- 
son's best  beer."  2 

Nine  days  afterwards,  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  who  had 
volunteered  to  conduct  the  emigration  and  in  person 


I  Gentleman's  Magazine,  No.  xxvi,  p.  94. 

II  See  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  1732,  p.  1029. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  13 

superintend  the  establishment  of  the  colony,  came  on 
board  accompanied  by  his  co-trustees.  Having  care- 
fully inspected  everything,  with  hearty  assurances  of 
their  kindest  sympathies  and  best  wishes,  the  trustees 
bade  God-speed  to  this  "beau-ideal  of  an  English 
gentleman,"  and  his  sturdy  colonists. 

The  next  day  the  Anne  weighed  her  anchor,  and, — 
having  intermediately  touched  at  the  island  of  Madeira, 
where  she  took  in  five  tuns  of  wine, —  on  the  13th 
of  January,  1733,  came  to  anchor  outside  the  bar  of 
Charleston  harbor.  The  voyage  proved  entirely  suc- 
cessful, and  only  two  delicate  children  had  died  on  the 
passage. 

So  soon  as  the  sails  of  the  Anne  were  furled,  the  first 
act  performed  by  the  colonists  was  the  rendition  of  heart- 
felt thanks  to  the  Supreme  Ruler  for  the  happy  termina- 
tion which  He  had  vouchsafed  to  their  voyage.  Imme- 
diately thereafter  Mr.  Oglethorpe  went  on  shore  and 
paid  his  respects  to  his  excellency  Robert  Johnson,  the 
governor  of  the  province  of  South  Carolina,  by  whom, 
and  his  council  he  was  warmly  welcomed  and  treated 
with  every  mark  of  distinguished  consideration.  The 
king's  pilot  was  dispatched  to  conduct  the  Anne  into  Port 
Royal  harbor,  whence  the  colonists  were  to  be  conveyed 
in  small  vessels  to  their  place  of  future  settlement.  In 
order  to  facilitate  the  early  location  of  the  emigrants, 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  proceeded  without  delay  to  Beaufort. 
Thence, —  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bull  who  was  detailed 
by  the  council  as  a  special  guide  and  assistant  in  the 
enterprise  —  he  ascended  the  Savannah  river,  forming 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  lands  allotted  to  the  colony 
of  Georgia,  with  a  view  to  exploring  the  country  and 
selecting  a  spot  best  suited  for  the  primal  encampment. 

In  a  letter  to  his  co-trustees  under  date  of  February 
10th,  1733,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  thus  describes  the  location 


14  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

which  on  this  occasion  he  fixed  upon  as  the  site  for  the. 
principal  town  of  the  colony,  and  which,  after  the 
Indian  name  of  the  river  flowing  by,  he  called  SAVAN- 
NAH. "  The  river  here  forms  a  half  moon,  along  side 
of  which  the  banks  are  about  forty  feet  high,  and  on 
the  top  is  a  'flat  which  they  call  a  bluft'.  The  plain 
high  ground  extends  into  the  country  about  five  or  six 
miles;  and  along  the  river  side,  about  a  mile.  Ships 
that  draw  twelve  feet  of  water  can  ride  within  ten  yards 
of  the  bank.  Upon  the  river  side,  in  the  centre  of  this 
plain,  I  have  laid  out  the  town,  opposite  to  which  is 
an  island  of  very  rich  pasturage  which  I  think  should 
be  kept  for  the  cattle  of  the  trustees.  The  river  is 
pretty  wide,  the  water  fresh,  and  from  the  quay  of  the 
town  you  see  its  whole  course  to  the  sea,  with  the 
island  of  Tybee  which  is  at  its  mouth.  For  about  six 
rniles  up  into  the  country  the  landscape  is  very  agree- 
able, the  stream  being  wide,  and  bordered  with  high 
woods  on  both  sides."  I  . 

More  than  a  century  and  a  quarter  have  passed  away 
and  the  city  of  Savannah  still  remains,  in  its  location 
and  plan,  an  enduring,  and  each  day  more  illustrious 
monument  of  the  judgment,  forecast  and  enterprise 
of  the  founder  of  the  colony  of  Georgia. 

During  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  absence  on  this  exploring 
expedition,  the  colonists  had  been  temporarily  lauded 
at  Beaufort.  There  he  joined  them  on  the  24th  of 
January.  The  following  sabbath  was  duly  observed 
as  a  day  of  special  thanksgiving.  On  the  1st  of  Feb- 
ruary, they  all  arrived  at  Savannah,  and  pitched  their 
tents  beneath  the  tall  pines  which  crowned  the  bluft'. 
With  commendable  zeal  they  betook  themselves  one 
and  all  to  landing  their  stores,  the  construction  of 
shelters,  making  a  crane,  felling  the  woods,  fortifying 
their  settlement,  and  the  performance  of  the  various 


OF  TQllO-Cm-CHL  15 

labors  requisite  for  their  immediate  comfort  and  pro- 
tection. 

The  position  of  this  feeble  colony  was,  in  the  very 
nature  of  things,  uncertain  and  hazardous  in  the  ex- 
treme. Located  in  the  depths  of  a  primeval  forest 
whose  dense  and  tangled  brakes  and  solemn  shadows 
environed  them  on  every  hand, —  the  vast  Atlantic  roll- 
ing its  waters  between  it  and  the  mother  country, —  the 
Carolina  settlements,  at  best  few  in  numbers  and  con- 
tending in  a  stern  life-struggle  for  their  own  existence, — 
Spaniards  in  Florida  jealous  of  this  disputed  domain 
and  ready  at  any  moment  to  frustrate  by  stealthy  ap- 
proaches and  force  of  arms,  any  efforts  of  the  English 
to  extend  their  plantations  on  the  coast, —  and,  above 
all,  Indian  tribes  in  the  occupancy  of  the  country, 
attached  to  their  grand  old  woods  and  gently  flowing 
streams,  watchful  of  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  imposed 
upon  by  Spanish  lies,  cheated  by  Carolina  traders,  and 
naturally  inclined  to  resist  all  encroachments  by  the 
whites  upon  their  hunting  grounds, —  it  did  indeed  ap- 
pear that  the  preservation  and  development  of  this 
colony  were  well  nigh  impossible.  But  its  planting 
and  perpetuation  had  been  committed  to  the  guardian 
care  of  one  who  was,  perhaps,  beyond  all  others,  best 
suited  to  the  enterprise.  Descended  from  a  family 
ancient  and  of  high  repute, —  in  his  very  youth  acquiring 
the  arts  of  war  and  declaring  his  title  to  brave  and 
high-toned  distinction  under  Prince  Eugene,  of  Savoy, — 
as  a  member  of  Haslemere,  by  a  course  thoroughly 
independent  and  consistent,  and  by  speeches  earnest 
and  intelligent,  securing  the  unqualified  respect  and 
esteem  even  of  those  opposed  to  him  in  political  views, — 
in  his  philanthropic  career  displaying  that  "  vast 
benevolence  of  soul "  which  alleviated  the  horrors  of 
the  Marshalsea,  and  worked  marvelous  reforms  in  the 


16  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

exactions  and  oppressions  of  the  extortionate  Barn- 
bridge,  the  notorious  warden  of  the  fleet, — sensibly  alive 
to  the  voice  of  suffering,  and  ready  to  lend  a  helping 
hand  wherever  the  weak  and  the  oppressed  required 
the  aid  of  the  powerful  and  the  noble-minded  for  the 
redress  of  wrongs,  and  the  alleviation  of  present  ills, — 
"  in  the  prime  of  life,  very  handsome,  tall  and  manly, 
dignified,  but  not  austere,  and  blessed  with  ample 
means  for  the  gratification  of  every  reasonable  desire," — 
possessed  of  a  liberal  education,  a  fearless  soul,  a 
determined  will,  an  expansive  energy,  and  an  experi- 
ence of  men  and  climes  and  matters  which  only  years 
of  careful  observation,  intelligent  travel,  and  thought- 
ful study  could  supply,  there  was  that  about  his  person 
and  character  and  abilities  which  inspired  every  con- 
fidence, and  rendered  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  beyond  all 
dispute,  the  man  of  his  age  and  people  best  qualified 
to  inaugurate  and  conduct  to  a  successful  issue  an 
enterprise  so  entirely  in  unison  with  his  own  philan- 
thropic sentiments,  and  so  important  to  the  material 
interests  both  of  England  and  America.  Realizing 
the  importance,  nay  the  absolute  necessity  of  establish- 
xing  at  the  earliest  moment  friendly  relations  be- 
/V/  tween  the  colonists  and  the  nearest  Indian  nations, 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  lost  no  time  in  seeking  a  personal  in- 
terview with  '  Tomo-chi-chi,  the  mico  or  chief  of  the 
Yamacraws,  whose  headquarters  were  at  Yamacraw  ^ 
on  the  Savannah  river,  but  a  short  distance  above  the 
point  where  the  settlers  had  pitched  their  tents.  This 
chief,  whose  name  is  so  honorably  associated  with  the 


1  The  earliest  notice  of  Tomo-chi-chi  —  whose  name  is  variously  spelt 
Tomochichi,  Booichee,  Tomeychee,  Tomachachi,  Tomochachi,  Thama- 
rhiiychee,  Thomochichi,  Tomachichi,  and  Temochichi, —  I  have  been 
able  to  find,  is  the  mention  made  of  him  as  one  of  the  contracting 
parties  in  the  "  Articles  of  Friendship  and  Commerce  between  his  Ex- 


OF  TOMO-CIII-CHI.  17 

early  history  of  the  colony  of  Georgia,  and  whose 
many  acts  of  kindness  and  fidelity  to  the  whites  demand 
and  must  ever  receive  the  most  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments, although  at  this  time  far  advanced  in  years, 
was  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  grave  demeanor, 
marked  character,  acknowledged  influence,  and  in  the 
full  possession  of  all  his  faculties.  For  some  cause, —  the 
precise  nature  of  which  has  never  been  fully  explained, — 
he  had,  in  company  with  a  number  of  his  countrymen, 
suffered  banishment  at  the  hands  of  his  people  the 
Lower  Creeks.  Whatever  the  real  reason  may  have 
been  for  this  action  on  the  part  of  the  Creeks,  towards 
Tomo-chi-chi,  it  does  not  appear  that  it  was  the  result 
of  any  special  ill-will,  or  that  the  expatriation  was  a 
punishment  for  specific  crime  or  misconduct.  The 
probability  is  that  he  went  into  voluntary  exile,  or  may  ' 
have  been  expelled  the  limits  of  the  tribe,  on  account 
of  some  political  disagreements.  The  great  chief  of 
the  O'Conas,  Oueekachumpa,  in  his  interview  with  Mr. 
Oglethorpe,  claimed  a  relationship  with  Tomo-chi-chi, 
and  stated  that  although  he  had  been  banished  from  his 
nation,  he  was  a  good  man  and  had  been  a  great  warrior. 


cellency  Robert  Johnson,  Esq.,  Governor  and  Commander-in-chief  in  and 
over  his  majesty's  Province  of  South  Carolina,  in  behalf  of  his  Majesty 
King  George  the  Second,  and  his  beloved  men  and  councillors  over  the 
great  water,  as  on  behalf  of  his  said  Excellency  and  beloved  men  and  war- 
riors in  his  Government  of  South  Carolina,  and  our  beloved  friends  and 
head  men  of  the  Pallachucolas,  Ouseeshees,  and  Chehaws,  of  the 
Lower  Creek  Towns,  and  also  between  the  head  men  of  the  Abekers, 
Oakfuskeys,  Oakchoys  and  Tallaseys  in  the  Upper  Creeks,  as  well  on 
behalf  of  themselves  as  the  people  of  their  said  Towns  "  formed,  con- 
cluded and  signed  July  8th,  1721.  Tomo-chi-chi  here  appears,  repre- 
senting the  town  of  Pallachucolas,  and  his  name  is  entered  by  the  en- 
grossing clerk  as  Tomeechey.1 

1  See  report  of  the  Committee  appointed  to  examine  into  the  proceedings  of  the 
people  of  Georgia  with  respect  to  the  Province  of  South  Carolina,  etc.,  p.  57,  et 
seq.,  Charleston,  1737. 

3 


18  >  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

Removing  from  his  former  abode,  after  some  wander- 
ings he  finally,  not  long  before  the  arrival  of  the  colony 
of  Georgia,  formed  a  permanent  settlement  on  the 
banks  of  the  Savannah,  just  at  or  very  near  the  present 
site  of  the  city  of  Savannah,  where  he  gathered  about 
him  the  tribe  of  Yamacraws,  consisting  in  major  part  of 
disaffected  parties  from  the  Lower  Creeks,  and  in  some 
measure  of  Yamasee  Indians.1  On  account  of  his 
superior  wisdom  and  valor  he  was  chosen  mico,  or 
chief.  There  is  some  evidence  that  at  one  time  anterior 
to  his  locating  himself  at  Yamacraw,  he  had  tarried 


1  In  the  "  report  of  the  committee  appointed  to  examine  into  the 
proceedings  of  the  people  of  Georgia  with  respect  to  the  province  of 
South  Carolina,  and  the  disputes  subsisting  between  the  two  colonies," 
[Charles  Town,  printed  by  Lewis  Timothy,  1787]  we  read  at  page  11, 
"  Your  committee  cannot  leave  this  article  without  observing  that 
when  this  representation  was  made,  the  people  of  this  province  *  had 
the  sole  trade  amongst  the  Creek  Indians  ;  and  the  people  of  Georgia 
would  with  difficulty  have  obtained  a  correspondence  with  the  Indians 
without  the  assistance  and  introduction  of  the  Government  of  Carolina. 
There  were  no  Indians  near  the  Georgians,  except  Tomo-chi-chi,  and  a 
small  tribe  consisting  of  about  thirty  or  forty  men  who  accompanied 
him.  They  were  composed  partly  of  Lower  Creeks,  and  partly  of 
Yamasees,  who  had  disobliged  their  countrymen,  and  for  fear  of  fall- 
ing sacrifices  to  their  resentment  had  wandered  in  the  woods  till  about 
the  year  1732,  when  they  begged  leave  of  this  government  to  sit  down 
on  the  high  land  of  Yamacraw  on  the  south  side  of  Savannah  river,  at 
or  near  the  place  where  the  new  town  of  Savannah  in  Georgia  is  now 
situated." 

These  statements  of  the  committee  are  fortified  by  the  following 
corroborating  affidavits : 

"  South  Carolina : 

"  Samuel  Eveleigh  of  Charlestown,  in  the  province  aforesaid,  maketh 
oath,  that  the  tribe  of  Indians  (which  this  deponent  hath  been  credi- 
bly informed  are  composed  partly  of  Creeks  and  Yamasees),  settled 
themselves  at  a  bluff  called  Yamacrah,  some  years  since,  and  that 
about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1732,  some  of  them  came  to  Charles- 
town  aforesaid,  and  desired  his  excellency  Robert  Johnson,  Esq.,  then 
governor,  that  they  might  have  leave  to  settle  there  and  have  a  trader 

*  South  Carolina. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHL  19 

with  the  Pallachucolas  for  a  season.  But  little  can  be 
gathered  of  his  history  prior  to  his  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Oglethorpe.  Ninety-one  years  of  his  simple  life 
had  been,  amid  the  shades  of  the  forests,  devoted  to 
the  pursuits  of  war  and  the  chase ;  and  there  is  scarce 
a  tradition  which  wrests  from  total  oblivion  the  deeds 
and  thoughts  of  this  aged  warrior  during  that  long  and 
voiceless  period.  At  the  moment,  however,  when  he 
came  into  the  presence  of  the  founder  of  the  colony, 
his  power  over  his  tribe  was  supreme,  his  natural  abili- 
ties were  unquestioned,  his  reputation  for  courage  and 
military  knowledge  in  the  rude  arts  of  war  which  en- 


amongst  them  ;  which  his  excellency  granted ;  and  that  Tomo-che-chee 
(who  was  lately  in  England)  was  one  of  them  to  the  best  of  his  re- 
membrance. And  further  saith  not. 

SAMUEL  EVELEIGH. 
"  Sworn  before  me  January  3rd,  1786, 

THOMAS  LAMBOLL, 

Justice  of  Peace  for  Berkley  County." 


"  South  Carolina : 

"  George  Ducat,  of  Charlestown,  maketh  oath  that  some  time  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1732,  the  deponent  was  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Eveleigh,  in  Charlestown,  where  he  saw  some  Creek  Indians  who 
belonged  to  a  small  tribe  of  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  families,  of 
which  one  Bocachee  was  then  reputed  to  be  the  chief  or  leader,  and 
that  the  said  Indians  then  desired  leave  of  Gov.  Johnson  to  sit  down 
at  Yamacraw  Bluff  on  Savannah  river,  the  place  where  the  town  of  Sa- 
vannah is  now  settled.  And  the  deponent  saith  that  the  said  governor 
gave  them  leave  to  plant  there  during  the  said  governor's  pleasure. 
And  this  deponent  hath  been  informed  by  a  trader  that  was  acquainted 
among  the  Creek  Indians,  that  Bocachee's  tribe  had  done  some  mis- 
chief in  their  own  country,  and  dared  not  to  return  home.  And  the 
deponent  saith  that  the  Indian  called  Tomo-chi-chi,  who  was  lately  in 
England,  was  one  of  the  same  tribe,  and  lived  amongst  them  when 
the  people  of  Georgia  first  came  to  settle  on  the  Savannah  river. 

GEORGE  DUCAT. 

"  Sworn  before  me  in  council  this  llth  day  of  January,  1736-7. 

THOMAS  BROUGHTON." 


20  HISTORICAL  SKETCU 

gaged  the  attention  of  his  age  and  race,  well  established, 
and  his  character  such  as  to  have  secured  for  him  the 
respect,  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  neighboring 
nations.  The  only  portrait  of  him,  of  which  we  have 
any  account,  is  one  which*was  taken  during  his  visit 
to  London.  It  was  painted  by  Verils.ty.and  hung  for 
many  years  in  the  Georgia  rooms.  This  likeness,  which 
represents  him  in  a  standing  posture,  with  his  left 
hand  resting  upon  the  shoulder  of  his  nephew  and 
adopted  son  Toona-howi,  who  holds  a*i  eagle  in  his 
arms,  was  subsequently  engraved  by  Kleinsmidt,  and 
forms  the  frontispiece  to  one  of  the  volumes  of  Url- 
sperger's  Journal  of  the  Saltzburg  Emigrants. 

Tomo-chi-chi  was  also  noble  in  his  connections.1 
The  king  of  the  Etiahitas  was  his  brother,  and  by 
Oueekachumpa,  surnamed  by  the  whites,  the  Long 
King,  he  was  acknowledged  as  a  cousin.  There  is 
that  about  the  countenance  of  this  aged  mico,  as  it  has 
come  down  to  us,  which  savors  of  intellect,  dignity, 
self-respect  and-manliness  not  unworthy  the  lineaments 
of  a  king. 

It  may  very  readily  be  perceived  how  important  it 
was  to  the  material  interests  of  the  colony  that  the 
good  will  of  this  chief  should  be  secured,  and  his  con- 
sent obtained  for  the  peaceable  and  uninterrupted 
occupation  of  the  soil  by  the  whites. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe,  on  the  occasion  of  his  tirst  interview 
with  Tomo-chi-chi,  was  fortunate  in  having  as  an  in- 
terpreter an  Indian  woman 2  who  had  married  a  Carolina 
trader,  named  Musgrove,  and  who,  from  this  circum- 


1  American  Gazetteer,  vol.  n,  article,  Georgia.  London,  1762.  Po- 
litical State  of  Great  Britain,  vol.  XLVI,  p.  237,  et  seq. 

5  Finding  that  Mary  Musgrove  possessed  considerable  influence  with 
the  Creeks,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  retained  her  as  an  interpreter,  allowing 
lirr  for  her  services  in  this  capacity  an  annual  compensation  of  £100, 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1.  21 

stance,  had  acquired  not  only  a  tolerable  knowledge 
of  the  English  language,  but  also  a  favorable  inclina- 
tion towards  her  husband's  countrymen. 


sterling.  She  afterwards  became  Mary  Matthews,  and  subsequently 
married  Thomas  Bosomworth,  the  chaplain  to  Oglethorpe's  regiment. 
In,  1749,  influenced  by  her  designing,  ambitious  and  unscrupulous 
husband,  this  woman  proved  a  source  of  much  annoyance  ;  and  on  one 
occasion  well-nigh  compassed  the  destruction  of  the  colony  at  Savan- 
nah. Upon  his  marriage  with  Mary,  Thomas  Bosomworth  had  ac- 
cepted a  grant  of  land  from  the  crown,  and  had  settled  in  the  province 
of  Georgia.  Not  content,  however,  with  this  possession,  he  determined 
that  his  wife  should  assert  a  claim  to  the  islands  of  St.  Catharine, 
Ossabaw  and  Sapelo  which  had  been  allotted  to  the  Indians,  by  treaty 
stipulations,  as  part  of  their  hunting  lands.  To  stock  them,  this  rever- 
end gentleman  had  purchased  cattle  largely  from  the  Carolina  planters, 
to  whom  he  stood  indebted  on  this  account  to  a  considerable  amount. 
His  stock-raising  not  proving  as  remunerative  as  he  had  anticipated, 
this  ambitious  clergyman,  with  a  view  to  attaining  greatness  and 
acquiring  a  fortune  rapidly,  encouraged  his  wife  to  announce  herself 
as  a  sister  of  Malatche,  descended  in  a  maternal  line  from  an  Indian 
king  who  held  from  nature  the  entire  territories  of  the  Creeks.  He 
persuaded  her  also  to  assert  her  right  to  them  as  superior,  not  only  to 
that  of  the  trustees  but  also  of  the  king.  Mary  accordingly  assumed 
the  title  of  an  independent  empress,  disavowing  all  allegiance  or  sub- 
jection to  the  British  crown,  and  summoned  a  general  convocation  of 
the  Creeks,  to  whom,  in  a  long  speech  prepared  for  the  occasion,  she 
explained  the  justice  of  her  claim,  the  great  injury  which  they,  her 
beloved  subjects,  had  sustained  at  the  hands  of  the  English  by  the  loss 
of  their  territories,  and  the  necessity  which  was  laid  upon  them  to 
regain  their  rights  by  force  of  arms.  Inflamed  by  her  harangue,  the 
assembled  Indians  admitted  her  claims,  and  pledged  themselves  to 
defend  to  the  last  extremity  her  royal  person  and  lands.  Putting 
herself  at  the  head  of  a  large- body  of  warriors,  she  set  out  for  Savan- 
nah to  demand  from  the  president  and  council  a  formal  acknowledg- 
ment of  her  assumed  rights.  A  messenger  was  dispatched  to  convey 
in  advance  to  the  president  of  the  colony  a  notification  of  her  approach- 
ing visit,  and  to  acquaint  him  with  the  fact  that  she  had  assumed  the 
sovereignty  over  the  entire  territory  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Creeks. 
This  notification  was  accompanied  with  a  demand  for  the  immediate 
evacuation  by  the  whites  of  all  lands  lying  south  of  the  Savannah 
river,  and  was  coupled  with  a  threat,  that  in  case  of  refusal  every  set- 
tlement within  the  specified  limits  should  be  extirpated.  Alarmed  at 
these  bold  pretensions,  and  sensible  of  her  influence  over  the  Creeks, 
President  Stephens  ordered  the  militia  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 


22  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  meeting  between  the  governor  of  the  colony 
and  the  aged  mico,  beneath  the  grand  old  live  oaks 
and  pines  whose  sheltering  arms  formed  the  only  canopy 


to  march  to  Savannah  upon  shortest  notice,  and  at  once  proceeded  to 
put  the  town  in  the  best  possible  state  of  defense.  Its  whole  force 
amounted  to  only  one  hundred  and  seventy  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms.  A  messenger,  dispatched  to  meet  Mary  while  she  was  still 
several  miles  from  the  town,  to  inquire  whether  she  was  serious  in 
her  intentions,  and  to  endeavor  to  persuade  her  to  dismiss  her  follow- 
ers and  abandon  her  pretensions,  found  her  resolute  and  inflexible. 
Nothing  remained  but  to  receive  the  Indians  boldly.  The  militia  were 
ordered  underarms,  and,  as  the  Indians  entered  the  town,  Captain  Noble 
Jones,  at  the  head  of  a  troop  of  horse,  stopped  them  and  demanded 
whether  their  visit  was  of  a  friendly  or  hostile  character  ?  Receiving 
no  reply,  he  commanded  them  to  ground  their  arms,  declaring  that  his 
orders  were  not  to  suffer  an  armed  Indian  to  set  foot  in  the  town,  and 
that  he  was  determined  to  enforce  those  orders  at  every  hazard.  The 
Indians  reluctantly  submitted.  Thomas  Bosomworth  in  his  canonical 
robes,  with  his  queen  by  his  side,  followed  by  the  kings  and  chiefs 
according  to  their  respective  rank,  marched  into  the  town  on  the  20th 
of  July,  making  a  formidable  appearance.  The  citizens  were  terror- 
stricken  at  the  sight.  Advancing  to  the  parade  they  found  the  militia 
drawn  up  under  anus  to  receive  them  ;  by  whom  they  were  saluted 
with  fifteen  cannon,  and  conducted  to  the  president's  house. 

Bosomworth  being  ordered  to  withdraw,  the  Indian  chiefs  in  a 
friendly  manner  were  required  to  declare  their  intention  in  paying 
this  visit  in  so  large  a  body  without  being  convened  by  any  person  in 
authority.  Having  been  previously  instructed,  they  responded  that 
Mary  would  speak  for  them,  and  that  they  would  abide  by  what  she 
said.  They  further  stated  that  they  heard  she  was  to  be  sent  captive 
over  the  great  waters,  and  they  were  come  to  know  on  what  account 
they  were  to  lose  their  queen ;  that  they  intended  no  harm,  and 
wished  that  their  arms  might  be  restored  to  them.  They  gave  the 
assurance  that  after  consulting  with  Bosomworth  and  his  wife  they 
would  return  and  amicably  settle  all  public  affairs.  Their  guns  were 
accordingly  returned  to  them,  and  strict  orders  issued  to  allow  them 
no  ammunition  until  the  council  should  see  more  clearly  into  their 
dark  designs.  The  day  following,  the  Indians,  having  had  some  pri- 
vate conferences  with  Mary,  with  sullen  countenances  marched  about 
tin-  streets  in  a  tumultuous  manner,  apparently  determined  on  mis- 
chief. All  the  men  being  obliged  to  mount  guard,  the  women  and 
children,  afraid  to  remain  in  their  houses  by  themselves,  were  greatly 
terrified,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  murdered  and  scalped.  Dur- 
ing this  i>eriod  of  confusion  a  false  rumor  was  circulated  that  the 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  23 

over  head,  was  frank,  cordial,  and  most  satisfactory. 
His  personal  friendship  and  that  of  his  immediate  tribe 
were  freely  pledged,  and  permission  was  cheerfully 


Indians  had  cut  off  President  Stephens's  head  with  a  tomahawk  ;  which 
so  exasperated  the  inhabitants  that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  the 
officers  could  restrain  the  troops  from  firing  upon  the  Indians.  Bosom- 
worth  was  arrested  and  made  to  understand  that  in  case  of  extremities 
he  should  be  marked  as  the  first  victim.  So  soon  as  he  was  carried 
into  close  confinement,  Mary  became  frantic,  threatening  vengeance 
against  the  magistrates  and  the  entire  colony,  ordering  all  white  per- 
sons to  depart  immediately  from  her  territories,  cursing  Oglethorpe, 
pronouncing  his  treaties  fraudulent,  and,  furiously  stamping  her  foot 
upon  the  earth,  swearing  by  her  Maker  that  the  whole  globe  should 
know  the  ground  she  stood  upon  was  her  own.  To  prevent  the  whites 
from  acquiring  any  ascendancy  over  the  chiefs  and  warriors,  she  kept 
the  leading  men  constantly  under  her  eye,  and  would  not  suffer  them 
to  utter  a  sentence  on  public  affairs  except  in  her  presence. 

Finding  it  utterly  impossible  to  pacify  the  Indians  while  under  the 
baleful  influence  of  their  pretended  queen,  President  Stephens  pri- 
vately laid  hold  of  her  and  put  her  in  close  confinement  with  her  hus- 
band. In  order  to  facilitate  a  reconciliation,  a  feast  was  prepared  for 
all  the  chiefs  and  leading  warriors ;  at  which  they  were  informed  that 
Bosomworth  had  involved  himself  in  debts  which  he  was  unable  to 
pay,  that  he  Avanted  not  only  their  lands,  but  also  a  large  share  of  the 
,  presents  which  the  king  had  sent  over  for  the  chiefs  and  warriors  as 
a  compensation  for  their  useful  services  and  firm  attachment  to  him 
during  the  war  against  their  common  enemy,  that  Bosomworth  wished 
to  obtain  these  presents  to  satisfy  his  creditors  in  Carolina  at  their 
expense,  that  the  lands  adjoining  Savannah  had  been  reserved  for 
them  to  encamp  upon  when  they  should  come  to  visit  their  beloved 
friends  in  Savannah,  and  the  three  maritime  islands  for  them  to  fish 
and  hunt  upon  when  they  came  to  bathe  in  the  salt  waters,  that  nei- 
ther Mary  nor  her  husband  had  any  right  to  those  lands,  but  that  they 
were  the  common  property  of  the  whole  Creek  nation  and  that  the 
great  king  George  had  ordered  the  president  to  defend  their  right  to 
them,  expecting  that  all  his  subjects,  both  white  and  red,  would  live 
together  like  brethren. 

Many  of  the  chiefs,  convinced  that  Bosomworth  had  deceived  them, 
declared  that  they  would  be  no  longer  controlled  by  his  advice.  Even 
Malatche,  the  leader  of  the  Lower  Creeks,  appeared  for  the  moment 
satisfied  ;  and  was  greatly  delighted  to  hear  that  presents  were  to  be 
distributed.  Taking  advantage  of  this  favorable  change  in  their 
sentiments,  President  Stephens  determined  to  make  immediate  distri- 
bution of  the  royal  bounty  and  to  dismiss  the  Indians.  While  prepa- 


24  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

granted  for  the  undisturbed  occupation  of  the  spot 
selected  by  Oglethorpe  for  the  town  of  Savannah. 
Although  the  good-will  of  the  nearest  Indians  had  been 

rations  were  being  made  to  carry  this  intention  into  effect,  Malatche, — 
whom  the  Indians  compared  to  the  wind,  because  of  his  fickle  and 
variable  temper, —  having  sought  and  intermediately  obtained  a  per- 
sonal interview  with  Bosomworth  and  his  wife,  rose  up  in  the  midst 
of  the  chiefs  and  warriors  assembled  to  receive  their  respective  shares 
of  the  king's  gifts,  and,  with  frowning  countenance  and  violent  man- 
ner, delivered  an  inflammatory  speech  abounding  in  dangerous  insi- 
nuations and  threats,  asserting  the  paramount  claims  of  Mary,  as  queen 
of  the  Creeks,  to  all  the  lands  in  question,  declaring  that  her  words 
were  the  voicfl  of  the  nation,  that  three  thousand  warriors  were  pre- 
pared to  maintain  with  their  lives  her  rights,  and  finally  concluding 
by  drawing  from  his  pocket  a  document  which  he  delivered  to  Presi- 
dent Stephens  in  confirmation  of  what  he  had  said.  This  paper  had 
evidently  been  prepared  by  Bosomworth,  and  was  an  ambitious  and 
violent  assertion  of  the  pretensions  and  designs  of  Mary.  When  the 
paper  was  read  in  council,  the  members  were  struck  with  astonish- 
ment. Perceiving  the  effect  which  had  been  produced,  Malatche  be- 
came uneasy,  and  begged  a  return  of  the  paper  that  he  might  hand 
it  back  to  the  party  from  whom  he  had  received  it.  President  Ste- 
phens, perceiving  more  clearly  than  ever  how  sadly  the  Indians  had 
been  duped  by  the  ambitious,  mercenary  and  designing  Bosomworth, 
addressed  the  chiefs  and  warriors  in  the  following  language : 

"  Friends  and  brothers  :  When  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and  his  people  first 
arrived  in  Georgia  they  found  Mary,  then  the  wife  of  John  Musgrove, 
living  in  a  small  hut  at  Yamacraw  ;  he  had  a  license  from  the  go- 
vernor of  South  Carolina  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  She  then  appeared 
to  be  in  a  poor,  ragged  condition,  and  was  neglected  and  despised  by 
the  Creeks ;  but  General  Oglethorpe  finding  that  she  could  speak  both 
the  English  and  the  Creek  languages,  employed  her  as  an  interpreter, 
richly  clothed  her,  and  made  her  a  woman  of  the  consequence  she  now 
appears.  The  people  of  Georgia  always  respected  her  until  she  mar- 
ried Bosomworth,  but  from  that  time  she  has  proved  a  liar  and  a 
deceiver.  In  fact,  she  was  no  relation  of  Malatche,  but  the  daughter 
of  an  Indian  woman  of  no  note,  by  a  white  man.  General  Oglethorpe 
did  not  treat  with  her  for  the  lands  of  Georgia,  for  she  had  none,  but 
with  tin- old  and  wise  leaders  of  the  Creek  nation,  who  voluntarily 
surrendered  their  territories  to  the  king.  The  Indians  at  that  time 
having  much  waste  land  which  was  useless  to  themselves,  parted  with 
a  share  of  it  to  their  friends,  and  were  glad  that  white  people  had 
settled  among  them  to  supply  their  wants.  He  told  them  that  the 
present  discontents  of  the  Creeks  had  been  artfully  infused  into  them 


OF  TOMO-CII1-CHI.  25 

thus  gained,  it  was  evident, —  in  order  to  place  beyond 
peradventure  the  present  security  of  the  colony, —  that 
the  consent  to  its  establishment  should  be  obtained 


by  Mary,  at  the  instigation  of  her  husband  ;  that  he  demanded  a  third 
part  of  the  royal  bounty  in  order  to  rob  the  naked  Indians  of  their 
rights ;  that  he  had  quarreled  with  the  president  and  council  of  Georgia 
for  refusing  to  answer  his  exorbitant  demands,  and  therefore  had  filled 
the  heads  of  the  Indians  with  wild  fancies  and  groundless  jealousies 
in  order  to  ferment  mischief  and  induce  them  to  break  their  alliance 
with  their  best  friends  who  alone  were  able  to  supply  their  wants  and 
defend  them  against  their  enemies."  At  this  point  the  Indians  ac- 
knowledged that  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  that  they  were  ready 
and  anxious  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace.  Pipes  and  rum  were  brought, 
and  all,  joining  hand  in  hand,  drank  and  smoked  in  friendship.  The 
distribution  of  the  royal  presents,  —  except  the  ammunition,  with 
which  it  was  deemed  imprudent  at  this  moment  to  entrust  them, —  was 
made,  and  even  Malatche  seemed  fully  satisfied  with  the  share  he  had 
received. 

While  an  amicable  compromise  of  all  existing  difficulties  had  thus 
been  effected,  and  all  were  rejoicing  in  the  reestablishment  of  friendly 
intercourse,  Mary,  drunk  with  liquor,  rushed  like  a  fury  into  the 
midst,  telling  the  president  that  these  were  her  people  and  that  he 
had  no  business  with  them.  The  president  calmly  advised  her  to 
retire  to  her  lodgings,  and  to  forbear  poisoning  the  minds  of  the  In- 
dians ;  as  otherwise  he  would  order  her  again  into  close  confinement. 
Turning  to  Malatche  in  a  great  rage,  she  repeated  to  him  with  some 
ill-natured  comments  what  the  president  had  said.  Malatche  thereupon 
sprang  from  his  seat,  laid  hold  of  his  arms,  called  upon  the  rest  to 
follow  his  example,  and  dared  any  man  to  touch  his  queen.  In  a  mo- 
ment the  whole  house  was  filled  with  tumult  and  uproar.  Every  Indian 
having  his  tomahawk  in  his  hand,  the  president  and  council  expected 
nothing  but  instant  death.  During  this  confusion  Captain  Jones,  who 
commanded  the  guard,  with  wonderful  courage  interposed  and  ordered 
the  Indians  immediately  to  surrender  their  arms ;  which  they  reluc- 
tantly did.  Mary  was  conveyed  to  a  private  room  where  a  guard  was 
placed  over  her,  and  all  further  communication  with  the  Indians  denied 
her  during  their  stay  in  Savannah. 

The  Indians  wore  finally  persuaded  to  leave  the  town  peaceably  and 
return  to  their  settlements.  Mary  and  her  husband  were  detained 
until  about  the  first  of  August,  when,  having  fully  confessed  their 
errors  and  craved  pardon,  they  were  allowed  to  depart. —  M'Catt's  His- 
tory of  Georgia,  i,  216,  et  seq. 
4 


26  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

from  other  adjacent  and  more  powerful  nations. 
Learning  from  Tomo-chi-chi  the  names  and  the  abodes 
of  the  most  influential  chiefs,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  enlisted 
the  good  offices  of  this  mico  in  extending  to  them  an 
earnest  invitation  to  meet  him  in  Savannah  at  an  early 
day.  The  importance  of  this  interview  and  the  gene- 
rous conduct  of  Tomo-chi-chi  cannot  easily  be  over 
estimated  in  considering  their  salutary  influence  upon 
the  being  and  prospects  of  this  lonely  and  feeble  colony 
struggling  for  its  primal  existence.  Had  this  chief, 
turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the  advances  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
refused  his  friendship,  denied  his  request,  and  by  his 
acknowledged  influence  instigated  a  determined  and 
combined  opposition  on  the  part  not  only  of  the 
Yamacravvs  but  also  of  the  lichees  and  Lower  Creeks, 
the  perpetuation  of  this  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the 
Savannah  would  have  been  either  most  seriously  im- 
periled, or  abruptly  terminated  amid  smoke  and  blood. 
When,  therefore,  we  recur  to  the  memories  of  this 
period,  and  as  often  as  the  marked  events  in  the  early 
history  of  the  colony  of  Georgia  are  enumerated,  so 
often  let  the  recollections  of  the  first  favors  of  this 
Indian  chief  be  gratefully  acknowledged.  If  General 
Oglethorpe's  proudest  claim  to  the  honor  and  respect 
of  succeeding  generations  be  that  he  was  the  successful 
founder  of  the  colony  of  Georgia,  let  it  not  be  forgotten 
by  those  who  accord  him  every  praise  for  his  valor 
and  judgment,  endurance,  skill  and  benevolence,  that 
in  the  hour  of  supreme  doubt  and  peril,  the  right 
hand  of  this  son  of  the  forest  and  his  generous  friend- 
ship were  among  the  surest  guaranties  of  the  safety  and 
the  very  existence  of  that  colony.  To  the  day  of  his 
death  the  pledges  of  amity  and  the  assurances  of  good- 
will, given  at  this  first  interview,  were  preserved  in- 
violate. The  firm  friend  of  the  white  man,  the  guide, 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  27 

the  adviser,  the  protector  of  the  colonists,  the  constant 
companion  and  faithful  confederate  of  Oglethorpe,  as 
such  let  us  always  remember  the  aged  mico  of  the 
Yamacraws. 

True  to  his  promise  Tomo-chi-chi  exerted  his  influ- 
ence in  behalf  of  the  contemplated  convention,  and 
dispatched  messengers  to  the  various  principal  towns 
and  chief  men  of  the  Georgia  tribes,  apprising  them  of 
the  objects  of  the  convocation  and  leading  their  minds 
in  advance  to  a  favorable  consideration  of  the  proposi- 
tions which  had  been  intimated  to  him  by  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe. The  interval,  which  must  necessarily  elapse 
prior  to  the  assembling  of  the  Indians,  was  improved 
by  the  founder  of  the  colony  in  furthering  the  settle- 
ment at  Savannah  and  in  paying  a  visit  to  the  province 
of  Carolina.  The  fullest  narrative  of  the  meeting 
between  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and  the  Indians,  in  pursuance 
of  this  invitation,  is  contained  in  the  46th  volume  of 
the  Political  State  of  Great  Britain,  and  we  repeat  the 
account  as  it  is  there  given : 

On  the  14th  of  May,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  set  out  from  Charles- 
ton on  his  return  to  Savannah,  which  is  the  name  of  the  town 
now  begun  to  be  built  in  Georgia.  That  night  he  lay  at  Col. 
Bull's  house  on  Ashley  river,  where  he  dined  the  next  day. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Guy,  rector  of  the  parish  of  St.  John's,  waited 
upon  him  there,  and  acquainted  him  that  his  parishioners  had 
raised  a  very  handsome  contribution  for  the  assistance  of  the 
colony  of  Georgia.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  went  from  thence  to  Capt. 
Bull's,  where  he  lay  on  the  15th.  On  the  16th,  in  the  morn- 
ing, ho  embarqued  at  Daho,  and  rested  at  Mr.  Cochran's  island. 
On  the  17th  he  dined  at  Lieut.  Watts'  at  Beaufort,  and  landed 
at  Savannah  on  the  18th,  at  ten  in  the  morning,  where  he  found 
that  Mr.  Wiggan,  the  interpreter,  with  the  chief  men  of  all 
the  Lower  Creek  nation,  had  come  down  to  treat  of  an  alliance 
with  the  new  colony. 

The  Lower  Creeks  are  a  nation  of  Indians  who  formerly  con- 


28  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

sisted  of  ten,  but  now  are  reduced  to  eight  tribes  or  towns,  who 
have  each  their  different  government,  but  are  allied  together 
and  speak  the  same  language.  They  claim  from  the  Savannah 
river  as  far  as  S.  Augustin,  and  up  to  the  Flint  river,  which 
falls  into  the  bay  of  Mexico.  All  the  Indians  inhabiting  this 
tract  speak  their  language.  Tomo-chi-chi,  inico,  and  the  In- 
dians of  Yauiacraw  are  of  their  nation  and  language. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  received  the  Indians  in  one  of  the  new  houses 
that  afternoon.  They  were  as  follows  : 

From  the  tribe  of  Coweeta  —  Yahou-Lakee,  their  king  or 
niico.  Essoboa,  their  warrior, —  the  son  of  old  Breen,  lately  dead, 
whom  the  Spaniards  called  emperor  of  the  Creeks, —  with  eight 
men  and  two  women  attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  the  Cussetas  —  Cusseta,  the  mico,  Tatchi- 
quatchi,  the  head  warrior,  and  four  attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  the  Owseecheys  —  Ogeese,  the  mico,  or  war 
king,  Neathlouthko  and  Ougachi,  two  chief  men,  with  three 
attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  Cheehaws  —  Outhleteboa,  the  mico, 
Thlautho-thlukee,  Figeer,  Soota-Milla,  war-captains,  and  three 
attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  Echetas  —  Chutabeeche  and  Kobin,  two 
war-captains,  [the  latter  was  bred  among  the  English]  with  four 
attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  Pattachucolas  —  Gillatee,  the  head  warrior, 
and  five  attendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  Oconas  —  Oueekachumpa,  called  by  the 
English  "  Long  King,"  Coowoo,  a  warrior. 

From  the  tribe  of  Eufaule  —  Tomaumi,  the  head  warrior,  and 
three  attendants. 

The  Indians  being  all  seated,  Oueekachumpa,  a  very  tall  old 
man,  stood  up,  and  with  a  graceful  action  and  a  good  voice, 
made  a  long  speech,  which  was  interpreted  by  Mr.  Wiggan  and 
John  Musgrove,  and  was  to  the  following  purpose.  He  first 
claimed  all  the  land  to  the  southward  of  the  river  Savannah,  as  be- 
longing to  the  Creek  Indians.  Next  he  said  that  although  they 
were  poor  and  ignorant,  he  who  had  given  the  English  breath 
had  given  them  breath  also ;  that  he  who  had  made  both,  had 
given  more  wisdom  to  the  white  men ;  that  they  were  firmly 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHL  29 

persuaded  that  the  Great  Power  which  dwelt  in  heaven  and  all 
around,  [and  then  he  spread  out  his  hands  and  lengthened  the 
sound  of  his  words,]  and  which  had  given  breath  to  all  men, 
had  sent  the  English  thither  for  the  instruction  of  them,  their 
wives  and  children ;  that  therefore  they  gave  them  up  freely 
their  right  to  all  the  land  which  they  did  not  use  themselves, 
and  that  this  was  not  only  his  opinion,  but  the  opinion  of  the 
eight  towns  of  the  Creeks,  each  of  whom  having  consulted 
together,  had  sent  some  of  their  chief  men  with  skins,  which  is 
their  wealth.  He  then  stopped,  and  the  chief  men  of  each 
town  brought  up  a  bundle  of  buck-skins,  and  laid  eight  bundles 
from  the  eight  towns  at  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  feet.  He  then  said 
those  were  the  best  things  they  had,  and  therefore  they  gave 
them  with  a  good  heart.  He  then  thanked  him  for  his  kind- 
ness to  Tomo-chi-chi,  mico,  and  his  Indians,  to  whom  he  said 
he  was  related  ;  and  said,  that  though  Tomo-chi-chi  was  banished 
from  his  nation,  he  was  a  good  man,  and  had  been  a  great  war- 
rior, and  it  was  for  his  wisdom  and  courage  that  the  banished 
men  chose  him  king.  Lastly,  he  said,  they  had  heard  in  the 
nation  that  the  Cherokees  had  killed  some  Englishmen,  and  that 
if  he  should  command  them,  they  would  enter  with  their  whole 
force  into  the  Cherokee  country,  destroy  their  harvest,  kill  their 
people  and  revenge  the  English.  He  then  sat  down.  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  promised  to  acquaint  the  trustees  with  their  desire 
of  being  instructed,  and  informed  them  that  although  there  had 
been  a  report  of  the  Cherokees  having  killed  some  Englishmen, 
it  was  groundless.  He  thanked  them  in  the  most  cordial  man- 
ner for  their  affection,  and  told  them  that  he  would  acquaint 
the  trustees  with  it. 

Tomo-chi-chi,  mico,  then  came  in,  with  the  Indians  of  Ya- 
macraw,  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  and,  bowing  very  low,  said  :  "  I  was 
a  banished  man ;  I  came  here  poor  and  helpless  to  look  for 
good  land  near  the  tombs  of  my  ancestors,  and  the  trustees  sent 
people  here ;  I  feared  you  would  drive  us  away,  for  we  were 
weak  and  wanted  corn ;  but  you  confirmed  our  land  to  us,  gave 
us  food  and  instructed  our  children.  We  have  already  thanked 
you  in  the  strongest  words  we  could  find,  but  words  are  no  re- 
turn for  such  favors  j  for  good  words  may  be  spoke  by  the 
deceitful,  as  well  as  by  the  upright  heart.  The  chief  men  of 


30  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

all  our  nation  are  here  to  thank  you  for  us ;  and  before  them  I 
declare  your  goodness,  and  that  here  I  design  to  die ;  for  we  all 
love  your  people  so  well  that  with  them  we  will  live  and  die. 
We  do  not  know  good  from  evil,  but  desire  to  be  instructed  and 
guided  by  you  that  we  may  do  well  with,  and  be  numbered 
amongst  the  children  of  the  trustees."  l  He  sat  down,  and 
Yahou-Lakee,  mico  of  Coweeta,  stood  up  and  said,  "  We  are  come 
twenty-five  days'  journey  to  see  you.  I  have  been  often  advised 
to  go  down  to  Charles-Town,  but  would  not  go  down  because  I 
thought  I  might  die  in  the  way;  but  when  I  heard  that  you 
were  come,  and  that  you  were  good  men,  I  knew  you  were  sent 
by  Him  who  lives  in  Heaven,  to  teach  us  Indians  wisdom ;  I 
therefore  came  down  that  I  might  hear  good  things,  for  I  knew 
that  if  I  died  in  the  way  I  should  die  in  doing  good,  and  what 
was  said  w,ould  be  carried  back  to  the  nation,  and  our  children 
would  reap  the  benefit  of  it.  I  rejoice  that  I  have  lived  to  see 
this  day,  and  to  see  our  friends  that  have  long  been  gone  from 
amongst  us.  Our  nation  was  once  strong,  and  had  ten  towns ; 
but  we  are  now  weak,  and  have  but  eight  towns.  You  have 
comforted  the  banished,  and  have  gathered  them  that  were 
scattered  like  little  birds  before  the  eagle.  We  desire  therefore 
to  be  reconciled  to  our  brethren  who  are  here  amongst  you,  and 
we  give  leave  to  Tomo-chi-chi,  Stimoiche,  and  Illispelle,  to  call 
the  kindred  that  love  them  out  of  each  of  the  Creek  towns, 
that  they  may  come  together  and  make  one  town.  We  must 


1  In  "  a  curious  account  of  the  Indians,  by  an  honorable  person,"  Mr. 
Oglethorpe,  referring  to  this  speech,  says  :  "  Tomo-clii-chi,  in  his  first 
set  speech  to  me,  among  other  things,  said :  '  Here  is  a  little  present ; ' 
and  then  gave  me  a  buffalo's  skin,  painted  on  the  inside  with  the  head 
and  feathers  of  an  eagle.  He  desired  me  to  accept  it  because  '  the  eagle 
signified  speed,  and  the  buffalo  strength.  That  the  English  were  as 
swift  as  the  bird,  and  as  strong  as  the  beast ;  since  like  the  first,  they 
Hew  from  the  utmost  parts  of  the  earth,  over  the  vast  seas,  and  like  the 
second,  nothing  could  withstand  them.  That  the  feathers  of  the  eagle 
\\viv  soft,  and  signified  love ;  the  buffalo  skin  was  warm,  and  signified 
protection  ;  therefore  he  hoped  that  we  would  love  and  protect  their 
little  families.' "  This  interesting  and  characteristic  episode  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  occasion,  is  unfortunately  omitted  in  the  account  which  we 
have  adopted  as  giving  the  most  minute  and  satisfactory  details  of 
this  memorable  interview. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-C'HI.  31 

pray  you  to  recall  the  Yamasees  that  they  may  be  buried  in 
peace  amongst  their  ancestors,  and  that  they  may  see  their  graves 
before  they  die  j  and  their  own  nation  shall  be  restored  again  to 
its  ten  towns."  After  which  he  spoke  concerning  the  abatement 
of  the  prices  of  goods,  and  agreed  upon  articles  of  a  treaty 
which  were  ordered  to  be  engrossed. 

Tomo-chi-chi  invited  them  to  his  town,  where  they 
passed  the  night  in  feasting  and  dancing.  On  the  21st, 
the  treaty  was  signed.  "  A  laced  coat,  a  laced  hat  and 
a  shirt  were  given  to  each  of  the  Indian  chiefs;  to 
each  of  the  warriors  a  gun,  and  a  mantle  of  Duffils, 
and  to  all  their  attendants  coarse  cloth  for  clothing. 
A  barrel  of  gunpowder,  four  cags  of  bullets,  a  piece  of 
broad-cloth,  a  piece  of  Irish  linen,  a  cask  of  tobacco 
pipes,  eight  belts  and  cutlashes,  with  gilt  handles,  tape 
and  inkle  of  all  colors,  and  eight  cags  of  rum,  to  be 
carried  home  to  their  towns;  one  pound  of  powder, 
one  pound  of  bullets,  and  as  much  provision  for  each 
man  as  they  pleased  to  take  for  their  journey  home," 
were  also  distributed.1 

During  this  interview,  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
towards  the  Indians  was  characterized  by  marked  kind-' 
ness,  courtesy  and  conciliation.  He  urged  upon  them 
an  appreciation  of  the  fact,  that  in  making  this  settle- 
ment the  English  desired  neither  to  dispossess  nor  to 
annoy  the  natives,  but  that  the  earnest  wish  of  his  go- 
vernment and  people  was  to  live  in  peace  and  friend- 
ship with  the  surrounding  tribes.  He  further  explained 
the  power  of  the  British  nation  and  the  general  object 
in  view  in  founding  the  colony,  and  asked  from  the 
assembled  chiefs  and  those  whom  they  represented,  a 


1  See  The  Political  State  of  Great  Britain,  XLVI,  237 ;  Gentleman's 
Magazine  for  July,  1733,  in,  384,  et  seq. :  American  Gazetteer,  n,  article 
Georgia,  London,  1762. 


32  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

grant  or  cession  of  the  lands  lying  between  the  Savan- 
nah and  Alatamaha  rivers.  In  addition,  he  invoked  the 
ratification  of  a  treaty  of  commerce  and  of  perpetual 
amity. 

The  interview  was  in  every  respect  satisfactory,  and 
resulted  in  the  consummation  of  a  treaty,  hy  which  the 
Lower.  Creeks  agreed  to  place  themselves  under  the 
general  government  of  Great  Britain  and  to  live  in 
peace  with  the  colonists.  To  the  trustees  were  granted 
all  lands  lying  between  the  Savannah  and  the  Alata- 
maha rivers,  from  the  ocean  to  the  head  of  tide  water. 
This  cession  also  embraced  all  the  islands  on  the  coast, 
from  Tybee  to  St.  Simons's  island  inclusive,  with  the 
exception  of  the  islands  of  Ossabau,  Sapelo  and  St. 
Catharine,  which  were  reserved  by  the  Indians  for  the 
purposes  of  hunting,  bathing  and  fishing.  The  tract 
of  land  lying  above  Yamacraw  bluff,  between  Pipe- 
maker's  bluff  and  Pally- Chuckola  creek,  was  also  re- 
served as  a  place  of  encampment  whenever  it  should 
please  them  to  visit  their  beloved  friends  at  Savannah. 
Stipulations  were  entered  into,  regulating  the  price  of 
goods,  the  value  of  peltry  and  the  privileges  of  traders. 
It  was  further  agreed  that  all  criminal  offences  should 
be  tried  and  punished  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of 
England.1 

Although  this  treaty  was  engrossed,  and  formally 
executed  by  Oglethorpe  on  the  one  part,  and  the  chiefs 
and  principal  warriors  who  were  then  present  on  the 
other,  in  order  that  its  terms  might  be  duly  considered 
and  approved,  it  was  at  once  forwarded  to  the  trustees 
for  their  formal  confirmation. 

In  due  course  it  was  returned  by  the  trustees  with 
the  following  ratification  : 


1  See  M' Call's  History  of  Georgia,  i,  37,  38. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  33 

The  trustees  for  establishing  the  colony  of  Georgia  in  America 
to  the  chief  men  of  the  nation  of  the  Lower  Creeks, 

SEND  GREETING  : 

WHEREAS,  The  great  king,  George  the  Second,  king  of  Great 
Britain  did  by  his  letters  patent  under  the  great  seal  of  Great 
Britain,  bearing  date  the  9th  day  of  June,  in  the  5th  year  of 
his  reign,  constitute  and  appoint  a  body  politic  and  corporate 
by  the  name  of  the  trustees  for  establishing  the  colony  of 
Georgia  in  America  : 

And,  WHEREAS,  The  said  trustees  have  received  from  their 
beloved  Mr.  James  Oglethorpe,  of  West  Brook  Place,  in  the  county 
of  Surry,  Esquire,  one  of  the  common  council  of  the  said 
trustees,  a  copy  of  certain  articles  of  friendship  and  commerce 
between  the  said  trustees  and  the  said  chief  men,  which  is  in 
the  words  following  (that  is  to  say),  Articles  of  friendship  and  com- 
merce between  the  trustees  for  establishing  the  colony  of  Georgia 
in  America,  and  the  chief  men  of  the  nation  of  the  Lower 
Creeks. 

First.  The  trustees,  bearing  in  their  hearts  great  love  and 
friendship  to  you  the  said  head-men  of  the  Lower  Creek  nation, 
do  engage  to  let  their  people  carry  up  into  your  towns  all  kinds 
of  goods  fitting  to  trade  in  the  said  towns,  at  the  rates  and 
prices  settled  and  agreed  upon  before  you  the  said  head-men, 
and  annexed  to  this  treaty  of  trade  and  friendship. 

Secondly.  The  trustees  do  by  these  articles  promise  to  see 
restitution  done  to  any  of  the  people  of  your  towns  by  the  peo- 
ple they  shall  send  among  you;  proof  being  made  to  the  beloved 
man  they  shall  at  any  time  send  among  you,  that  they  who 
have  either  committed  murder,  robbery,  or  have  beat  or 
wounded  any  of  your  people,  or  any  wise  injured  them  in  their 
crops,  by  their  horses,  or  any  other  ways  whatever ;  and  upon 
such  proof  the  said  people  shall  be  tried  and  punished  accord- 
ing to  the  English  law. 

Thirdly.  The  trustees  when  they  find  the  hearts  of  you  the 
said  head-men  and  your  people  are  not  good  to  the  people 
they  shall  send  among  you,  or  that  you  or  your  people  do  not 
mind  this  paper,  they  will  withdraw  the  English  trade  from  the 
town  so  offending.  And  that  you  and  your  people  may  have 
5 


34  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

this  chain  of  friendship  in  your  minds  and  fixed  to  your  hearts, 
they  have  made  fast  their  seal  to  this  treaty. 

Fourthly.  We,  the  head-men  of  the  Coweta  and  Cuseta 
towns,  in  behalf  of  all  the  Lower  Creek  nation,  being  firmly 
persuaded  that  He  who  lives  in  Heaven,  and  is  the  occasion  of 
all  good  things,  has  moved  the  hearts  of  the  trustees  to  send 
their  beloved  men  among  us,  for  the  good  of  our  wives  and 
children,  and  to  instruct  us  and  them  in  what  is  straight,  do 
therefore  declare  that  we  are  glad  that  their  people  are  come 
here;  and  though  this  land  belongs  to  us  (the  Lower  Creeks), 
yet  we,  that  we  may  be  instructed  by  them,  do  consent  and 
agree  that  they  shall  make  use  of  and  possess  all  those  lands 
which  our  nation  hath  not  occasion  to  use;  and  we  make  over 
unto  them,  their  successors  and  assigns,  all  such  lands  and  ter- 
ritories as  we  shall  have  no  occasion  to  use ;  provided  always, 
that  they,  upon  settling  every  new  town,  shall  set  out  for  the 
use  of  ourselves  and  the  people  of  our  nation  such  lands  as 
shall  be  agreed  upon  between  their  beloved  men  and  the  head- 
men of  our  nation,  and  that  those  lands  shall  remain  to  us  forever. 

Fifthly.  We,  the  head-men,  do  promise  for  ourselves  and 
the  people  of  our  towns  that  the  traders  for  the  English  which 
shall  settle  among  us,  shall  not  be  robbed  or  molested  in  their 
trade  in  our  nation ;  and  that  if  it  shall  so  happen  any  of  our 
people  should  be  mad,  and  either  kill,  wound,  beat  or  rob  any 
of  the  English  traders  or  their  people,  then  we  the  said  head- 
men of  the  towns  aforesaid  do  engage  to  have  justice  done  to 
the  English,  and  for  that  purpose  to  deliver  up  any  of  our  peo- 
ple who  shall  be  guilty  of  the  crimes  aforesaid,  to  be  tried  by 
the  English  laws,  or  by  the  laws  of  our  nation,  as  the  beloved 
man  of  the  trustees  shall  think  fit.  And  we  further  promise 
not  to  suffer  any  of  the  people  of  our  said  towns  to  come  into  the 
limits  of  the  English  settlements  without  leave  from  the  English 
beloved  man,  and  that  we  will  not  molest  any  of  the  English  trad- 
ers passing  to  or  from  any  nation  in  friendship  with  the  English. 

Sixthly.  We,  the   head-men,  for   ourselves  and   people   do 

^  promise  to  apprehend  and  secure  any  negro  or  other  slave  which 

shall  run  away  from  any  of  the  English  settlements  to  our  nation, 

and  to  carry  them  either  to  this  town,  or  Savannah,  or  Pala- 

chuckola  garrison,  and  there   to  deliver  him  up   to  the  com- 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  35 

mander  of  such  garrison,  and  to  be  paid  by  him  four  blankets 
or  two  guns,  or  the  value  thereof  in  other  goods;  provided  such 
runaway  negro,  or  other  slave,  shall  be  taken  by  us  or  any  of 
our  people  on  the  farther  side  of  Oconee  river;  and  in  case 
such  negro  or  runaway  slave  shall  be  taken  on  the  hither  side 
of  the  said  river,  and  delivered  to  the  commanders  aforesaid, 
then  we  understand  the  pay  to  be  one  gun,  or  the  value  thereof; 
and  in  case  we  or  our  people  should  kill  any  such  slave  for 
resistance  or  running  away  from  us  in  apprehending  him,  then 
we  are  to  be  paid  one  blanket  for  his  head,  by  any  trader,  for 
carrying  such  slave's  head  unto  him. 

Lastly.  We  promise  with  stout  hearts,  and  love  to  our 
brothers  the  English,  to  give  no  encouragement  to  any  other 
white  people,  but  themselves,  to  settle  amongst  us,  and  that  we 
will  not  have  any  correspondence  with  the  Spaniards  or  French; 
and  to  show  that  we  both  for  the  good  of  ourselves  our  wives 
and  children  do  firmly  promise  to  keep  the  talk  in  our  hearts 
as  long  as  the  sun  shall  shine  or  the  waters  run  in  the  rivers, 
we  have  each  of  us  set  the  marks  of  our  families. 

Schedule  of  the  prices  of  goods  agreed  on,  annexed. 

Two  yards  of  stroud,  -                            -     Five  buck-skins. 

One  yard  of  plains,  One        ditto. 

White  blanket,    -  -     One        ditto. 

Blue       ditto,  Five       ditto. 

A  gun,        -  -     Ten        ditto. 

A  pistol,  Five       ditto. 

A  gun-lock,  -     Four      ditto. 

Two  measures  of  powder,  One        ditto. 

Sixty  bullets,       -  -     Ditto      ditto. 

One  white  shirt,      -  Two        ditto. 

One  knife,  -     One  doe-skin. 

Eighteen  flints,        -  One  buck-skin. 

Three  yards  of  cadiz.  -     One  doe-skin... 

Ditto    ditto  of  gartering,  -          Ditto,  ditto. 

One  hoe,    -  -     Two  buck-skins. 

One  axe,  Ditto      ditto. 

One  large  hatchet,  -                            -     Three  doe-skins. 

One  small    ditto,     -  One  buck-skin. 

Brass  kettles  per  lb,  --    Ditto    ditto. 

Doe-skins  were  estimated  at  half  the  value  of  the  bucks. 


36  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

And,  WHEREAS,  The  said  trustees  are  greatly  desirous  to 
maintain  and  preserve  an  inviolable  peace,  friendship  and  com- 
merce between  the  said  head-men  of  the  Lower  nation  of  Creeks, 
and  the  people  the  said  trustees  have  sent  and  shall  send  to 
inhabit  and  settle  in  the  province  of  Georgia  aforesaid,  to  en- 
dure to  the  world's  end  ; 

Now  know  ye  that  we  the  said  trustees  for  establishing  the 
colony  of  Georgia  in  America  do  by  these  presents  ratify  and 
confirm  the  said  articles  of  friendship  and  commerce  between 
the  trustees  for  establishing  the  colony  of  Georgia  in  America, 
and  the  chief-men  of  the  Lower  Creeks,  and  all  and  every  of  the 
articles  and  agreements  therein  contained,  and  also  the  rates 
and  prices  of  goods  above  mentioned,  settled  and  agreed  upon 
before  the  said  head-men,  and  annexed  to  the  said  treaty  of 
trade  and  friendship. 

In  witness  whereof  the  common  council  of  the  said  trustees 
for  establishing  the  colony  of  Georgia  in  America  have  to  these 
presents  made  fast  the  common  seal  of  the  corporation  of  the 
said  trustees,  the  eighteenth  day  of  October,  in  the  seventh 
year  of  the  reign  of  our  sovereign  lord  George  the  Second,  by 
the  grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain,  France  and  Ireland  king, 
defender  of  the  faith,  etc.,  and  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty-three. 

By  order  of  the  said  common  council, 

BENJAMIN  MARTYN,  Secretary-^ 

The  result  of  this  treaty  of  the  18th  of  May,  1733,  was 
the  pacification  of  all  the  Lower  Creek  Indians,  the 
lichees,  the  Yamacraws  and  all  the  tribes  acknowledg- 
ing their  supremacy.  Nor  did  the  influences  of  this 
convocation  rest  with  them  only.  They  were  recog- 
nized by  the  Upper  Creeks,  and,  at  a  later  date,  speci- 
fically ratified  by  the  Cherokees.  For  years  were 
these  stipulations  preserved  inviolate ;  and  the  colony 
of  Georgia,  thus  protected,  extended  its  settlements  up 


1  See  M'Call's  History  of  Georgia,  I,  357,  et  tteq. 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  37 

the  Savannah  river  and  along  the  coast,  encountering 
neither  molestation  nor  opposition,  but  on  the  contrary 
receiving  on  every  hand  positive  and  valuable  assur- 
ances of  the  good-will  and  sympathies  of  the  children 
of  the  forest.  Probably  the  early  history  of  no  planta- 
tion in  America  affords  so  few  instances  of  hostility  en- 
countered on  the  part  of  the  natives,  or  furnishes  so 
many  acts  of  kindness  experienced  at  the  hands  of  the 
Red  men.  To  the  prudence,  conciliatory  conduct,' 
sound  judgment  and  wisdom  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
seconded  by  the  hospitality  and  generosity  as  well  as  the 
direct  personal  influence  of  Tomo-chi-chi,  was  the 
colony  of  Georgia  indebted  for  this  first  and  liberal 
treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  with  the  aborigines. 


224863 


38  HISTORICAL  SKETCU 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Creek  Confederacy  —  Contemporaneous  descriptions  of  the  physi- 
cal appearance,  characteristics,  customs  and  occupations  of  the  In- 
dians dwelling  within  the  limits  of  Georgia. 

a  letter  written  on  the  12th  of  March,  1733, 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  mentions  the  Lower  Creeks, 
the  Upper  Creeks  and  the  lichees  as  the  three 
most  powerful  Indian  nations  in  Georgia, 
dwelling  between  the  mountains  and  the  coast.  The 
Lower  Creeks  consisted  of  nine  towns  or  cantons,  and 
their  warriors  were  estimated  by  him  at  one  thousand. 
The  military  power  of  the  Upper  Creeks  he  computes  at 
eleven  hundred  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  while  it  was 
supposed  that  the  Uchees  were  at  that  time  in  capable  of 
bringing  into  the  field  more  than  two  hundred  bow-men. 
De  Brahm,  at  a  later  date,  reckons  the  population 
of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Creeks  at  fifteen  thousand 
men,  women  and  children ;  and  rates  their  warriors  and 
gun-men  above  three  thousand.1 

In  1733, — the  year  in  which  Georgia  was  settled, — 
the  territory  of  the  Creek  confederacy,  including  at  that 
time  the  Seminoles,  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
Mobile  river  and  by  the  ridge  which  separates  the 
waters  of  the  Tombigbee  from  those  of  the  Alabama, 
on  the  north  by  the  Cherokees,  on  the  north-east  by 
the  Savannah,  and  on  every  other  quarter  by  the  At- 
lantic ocean,  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.2 


1  History  of  the  Province  of  Georgia,  etc.,  by  John  Gerar  William 
De  Brahm.  Wormsloe,  MDCCCXLIX,  55. 

*  Synopsis  of  the  Indian  ti-ibes,  by  the  Hon.  Albert  Gallatin  ;  Arclus- 
oloffia  Americana,  n,  94. 


OF  TOMO-CULCHL  39 

It  seems  probable  that  the  small  tribe  of  the  Yarna- 
craws,  over  which  Tomo-chi-chi  presided  as  mico,  was 
composed  in  the  main  of  Yamasees,  acknowledging^ 
the  supremacy  of  the  Creek  confederacy.1 

At  what  particular  period  occurred  the  consolidation 
of  the  Creek  confederacy,  cannot  now  be  definitely 
ascertained.  Tradition  points  to  the  country  west  of 
the  Mississippi  as  the  original  habitat  of  at  least  some 
of  the  tribes  composing  this  confederacy.  The  Musk- 
hogees, —  constituting  the  prevailing  nation,  and  com- 
prising more  than  seven-eighths  of  the  entire  popula- 
tion,—  claimed  that  they  issued  originally  out  of  a  cave 
near  the  Alabama  river.  The  Hitchittees  on  the  con- 
trary declared  that  their  ancestors  had  fallen  from  the 
sky. 

2  The  lichees  and  the  batches, —  who  were  both  in- 
corporated in  the  Creek  confederacy, —  spoke  two  dis- 
tinct languages  altogether  different  from  the  Muskho- 
gees.  The  batches,  a  residue  of  the  well-known  nation 
of  that  name,  came  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
and  joined  the  Creeks. 

The  original  seats  of  the  lichees,  —  so  far  as  they  can 
be  ascertained, —  were  east  of  the  Coosa,  and  probably 
of  the  Chattahoochee.  They  considered  themselves  as 
the  most  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  country,  and  may 
have  been  the  same  nation  which  is  called  Apalaches 
by  the  historians  of  De  Soto's  expedition.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  they  were  located, 
at  least  in  part,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Savannah 
river.  In  1736,  they  claimed  the  country  above  and 
below  Augusta.  In  1715,  the  Yamasees,  who  had 
been  assisted  by  the  Creeks,  suffered  a  signal  defeat 

1  ArcJiceologia  Americana,  u,  85  ;  Collections  of  t?ie  Georgia  Histoi'i- 
cal  Society,  in,  part  i,  15. 

2  Archceologia  Americana,  n,  95. 


40  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

and  were  driven  across  the  Savannah  river.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  in  this  struggle  they  numbered  the 
Uchees  among  their  auxiliaries;  and  that  weakened 
by  this  defeat,  they  found  it  prudent  to  withdraw  to  a 
greater  distance  from  the  English  settlements  in  Caro- 
lina, and  seek  a  more  secure  retreat  in  the  direction  of 
the  Flint  river.  The  lichee  language  is  the  most  gut- 
tural, uncouth  and  difficult  to  express  with  our  alphabet 
and  orthography  of  any  of  the  Indian  languages  within 
our  knowledge.  After  quoting  with  approval  the 
synopsis  of  Mr.  Gallatin,  in  his  contribution  to  the  his- 
tory of  the  Creek  confederacy,  Mr.  Hodgson  says,1 
"  To  my  mind  it  is  evident  that  the  whole  Atlantic 
coast,  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  country  of  the  Six 
Nations  in  the  north,  has  for  centuries  past  been  the 
theatre  of  constant  revolutions  among  the  aborigines 
of  the  soil.  Wars,  conquests,  subjugations,  extinc- 
tions and  productions  of  new  races,  migrations  and 
new  settlements,  I  do  not  doubt,  have  marked  the  life 
of  western  as  well  as  of  eastern  nations.  On  this  con- 
tinent there  are  no  Persepolitan,  Etruscan,  Egyptian 
or  Runic  inscriptions  to  attest  the  rise  and  decay  of 
nations,  their  wars,  conquests  and  migrations ;  and 
where  no  records  have  been  made  of  such  movements 
among  races  and  tribes,  the  modern  science  of  com- 
parative philology  has  detected  by  speech,  the  far  dis- 
tant emigration  of  tribes  of  men  with  as  great  certainty 
as  the  comparative  anatomist  detects  congeners  among 
fossil  animals.  Thus  the  Anglo-Saxon  derives  his 
origin  through  Teutonic  and  Zend  to  Sanscrit  in  Cen- 
tral Asia,  with  positive  certainty. 

"  The  historians  of  Carolina  and  Georgia  have  pre- 
served some  slight  vestiges  of  the  original  inhabitants. 


1  Collections  of  the  Georgia  Historical  Society,  in,  part  1,  16, 17. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  41 

The  Shawnees  appear  to  have  been  a  peculiarly  roving, 
romantic  race.  Lawson  reports  that  the  Catawbas  in 
Carolina  drove  back  the  Shawnees  from  the  Peedee 
and  Santee  rivers.  At  one  time  they  were  repelled  by 
the  Six  Nations,  and  retired  to  the  valley  of  the  Ohio. 
At  another  they  were  found  on  the  Savannah  river, 
which  was  called  Chisketalla  fau  hatche,  and  sometimes 
Sauvannogee,  the  name  for  Shaivanos.  This  is  the  report 
of  Mr.  Hawkins.  It  was  called  Isundiga  by  the  Caro- 
lina tribes.  My  own  opinion  is  that  the  river  was 
so  called  from  the  tribe  of  Savannahs  occupying  its 
banks,  who  belonged  to  the  great  Uchee  family. 
There  are  many  indications  however  which  favor  the 
settlement  of  Shawnees  on  this  river. 

"Hawkins  says  that  the  '  village  of  Sauvanogee,  on 
the  waters  of  Coosa  and  Tallapoosa,  is  inhabited  by 
Shawanee.  They  retain  the  language  and  customs  of 
their  countrymen  to  the  north-west,  and  aided  them  in 
their  late  war  with  the  United  States.  Some  lichees 
have  settled  with  them.' 

"  Entertaining  the  suspicion  that  these  Shawanee  were 
in  reality  lichees,  I  found  confirmation  in  Bartram. 
He  says  '  their  (lichees)  own  national  language  is  radi- 
cally different  from  the  Muscogulgee  tongue,  and  is 
called  Savanna,  or  Savannuca,  Savanogee.  I  was  told 
by  the  traders  that  it  was  the  same  as  the  dialect  of  the 
Shawanese.  The  lichees  are  in  confederacy  with  the 
Creeks,  but  do  not  mix  with  them.' 

"  The  language  of  the  Shawnese  is  most  certainly 
not  like  Uchee;  and  this  contradiction  of  the  traders  I 
cannot  well  explain.  Yet  I  have  the  conviction  that 
the  tribe  of  Savannahs  were  Uchees.  All  travelers 
concur  in  assigning  to  the  Uchees  great  influence  in 
the  confederacy ;  and  Bartram  asserts  that  they  '  excite 
the  jealousy  of  the  whole  Creek  nation.'  Palachoocla 
G 


42  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

or  Parachoocla,  the  capital  of  the  confederacy,  with 
two  thousand  inhabitants,  on  the  waters  of  the  Chatta- 
hoochee  is  a  very  ancient  Uchee  town.  There  is  at 
this  day  an  old  Indian  station  in  Carolina  on  the  Sa- 
vannah river  called  Parachoola,  which  is  Uchee.  Sau- 
kechuh,  (Saltketchers)  where  Gov.  Craven  defeated  the 
Yamassees,  is  most  likely  to  be  a  Uchee  word.  Indeed, 
until  the  contrary  shall  be  proved  by  comparative 
vocabularies,  I  shall  think  that  the  Savannahs,  Sevan- 
nahs,  andUchees  who  conquered  and  expelled  theWest- 
os  and  Stonos,  were  one  people  with  the  Yamassees. 

"  The  Yamassees  were  in  turn  expelled  from  Caro- 
lina by  the  English,  and  took  refuge  in  Florida.  The 
Yamacraws  belonged  to  this  tribe.  The  Uchees  seem 
to^have  been  a  conquering  people,  whose  tide  of  suc- 
cess having  been  checked,  flowed  back  towards  the 
west,  and  there  met  the  advancing  waves  of  the  Mus- 
cogee  emigration  from  the  west  rolling  eastwardly. 
'  »  Policy  and  self-preservation  combined  to  suggest  a  co- 
alition. And  thus  from  these  principles,  acting  upon 
other  nomadic  or  migrating  tribes,  may  have  sprung 
\  the  powerful  Creek  or  Muscogee  confederacy." 
\  The  glowing  descriptions  of  the  natives  which  have 
been  handed  down  by  the  early  Spanish  adventurers 
were  not  fully  justified  by  the  appearance  and  occupa- 
tions of  the  Indians  as  they  were  observed  and  related 
by  the  Georgia  colonists.  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  speaking 
generally,  describes  the  Indians  as  "  a  manly,  well 
shaped  race."  ^e  says,  they,  as  the  ancient  Grecians 
did,  anoint  with  oil  and  expose  themselves  to  the  sun, 
which  occasions  their  skins  to  be  brown  of  color.  The 
men  paint  themselves  of  various  colors,  red,  blue,  yel- 


1  See  Salmon's  Modern  History,  in,  770,  4th  edition ;  Harris's  Me- 
morials of  Oglethorpe,  319. 


OF  TOMO-Cni-CHI.  43 

low  and  black.  The  men  wear  generally  a  girdle  with 
a  piece  of  cloth  drawn  through  their  legs  and  turned 
over  the  girdle  both  before  and  behind,  so  as  to  hide 
their  nakedness.  The  women  wear  a  kind  of  petticoat 
to  the  knees.  Both  men  and  women  in  the  winter 
wear  mantles  something  less  than  two  yards  square, 
which  they  wrap  round  their  bodies  as  the  Romans 
did  their  toga,  generally  keeping  their  arms  bar6 ;  they 
are  sometimes  of  woolen  bought  of  the  English,  some- 
times of  furs  which  they  dress  themselves.  They  wear 
a  kind  of  pumps  which  they  call  moccasins,  made  of 
deer  skin,  which  they  dress  for  that  purpose.  They 
are  a  generous,  good-natured  people  ;  very  humane  to 
strangers;  patient  of  want  and  pain;  slow__to  anger 
and  not  easily  provoked,  but  when  they  are  thoroughly 
incensed  they  are  implacable  :  very  quick  of  apprehen- 
sion, and  gay  of  temper.  Their  public  conferences 
show  them  to  be  men  of  genius,  and  they  have  a  natu- 
ral eloquence,  they  never  having  had  the  use  of  letters. 
They  love  eating,  and  the  English  have  taught  many 
of  them  to  drink  strong  liquors;  which,  when  they  do, 
they  are  miserable  sights.  They  have  no  manufac- 
tures but  what  each  family  makes  for  its  own  use; 
the}7  seem  to  despise  working  for  hire,  and  spend  their 
time  chiefly  in  hunting  and  war ;  but  plant  corn  enough 
for  the  support  of  their  families  and  the  strangers  that 
come  to  visit  them.  Their  food,  instead  of  bread,  is 
flour  of  Indian  corn  boiled  and  seasoned  like  hasty- 
pudding,  and  this  called  hominy.  They  also  boil  veni- 
son and  make  broth;  they  also  roast  or  rather  broil 
their  meat.  The  flesh  they  feed  on  is  buffalo,  deer, 
wild-turkeys  and  other  game;  so  that  hunting  is  neces- 
sary to  provide  flesh,  and  planting  for  corn.  The  land; 
belongs  to  the  women,  and  the  corn  that  grows  upon 
it;  but  meat  must  be  got  by  the  men,  because  it  is  they 


44  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

only  that  hunt;  this  makes  marriage  necessary,  that 
the  women  may  furnish  corn,  and  the  men  meat. 
They  have  also  fruit  trees  in  their  gardens,  namely 
peaches,  nectarines  and  locust,  melons  and  water- 
melons, potatoes,  pumpkins,  onions,  etc.,  in  plenty; 
and  many  kinds  of  wild  fruits  and  nuts,  as  persimons, 
grapes,  chinquepins  and  hickory  nuts,  of  which  they 
make  oil.  The  bees  make  their  combs  in  the  hollow 
trees,  and  the  Indians  find  plenty  of  honey  -there,  which 
they  use  instead  of  sugar.  They  make  what  supplies 
the  place  of  salt,  of  wood  ashes ;  use  for  seasoning 
long-pepper,  which  grows  in  their  gardens;  and  bay- 
leaves  supply  their  want  of  spice.  Their  exercises  are 
a  kind  of  ball-playing,  hunting  and  running ;  and  they 
are  very  fond  of  dancing.  Their  music  is  a  kind  of 
drum,  as  also  hollow  cocoa-nut  shells.  They  have  a 
square  in  the  middle  of  their  towns  in  which  the  war- 
riors sit,  converse  and  smoke  together;  but  in  rainy 
weather  they  meet  in  the  king's  house.  They  are  a 
very  healfhy  people  and  have  hardly  any  diseases  ex- 
cept those  occasioned  by  the  drinking  of  rum,  and  the 
small-pox.  Those  who  do  not  drink  rum,  are  exceed- 
ingly long  lived.  Old  Brim,  emperor  of  the  Creeks, 
who  died  but  a  few  years  ago,  lived  to  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  and  he  was  neither  blind  nor  bed-rid 
till  some  months  before  his  death.  They  have  some 
pleurisies  and  fevers,  but  no  chronical  distempers.  They 
know  of  several  herbs  that  have  great  virtues  in  physic, 
particularly  for  the  cure-of  venomous  bites  and  wounds. 
In  a  letter  dated  the  9th  of  June,  1733,  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  furnishes  additional  information  in  reference 
to  the  Georgia  Indians.  He  writes  as  follows  : 

There  seems  to  be  a  door  opened  to  the  colony  towards  the 
conversion  of  the  Indians.     I  have  had  many  conversations  with 


OF  TOMO-Cm-CUL  45 

their  chief-men,  the  whole  tenor  of  -which  shows  that  there 
is  nothing  wanting  to  their  conversion  hut  one  who  understands 
their  language  well,  to  explain  to  them  the  mysteries  of  religion ; 
for,  as  to  the  moral  part  of  Christianity  they  understand  it,  and 
do  assent  to  it.  They  abhor  adultery  and  do  not  approve  of  a 
plurality  of  wives.  Theft  is  a  thing  not  known  among  the  Creek 
Indians,  though  frequent  and  even  honorable  among  the  lichees. 
Murder  they  look  on  as  a  most  abominable  crime ;  but  do  not 
esteem  the  killing  of  an  enemy,  or  one  that  has  injured  them, 
murder.  The  passion  of  revenge  which  they  call  honor,  and, 
drunkenness  which  they  learn  from  our  traders,  seem  to  be  the 
two  greatest  obstacles  to  their  being  truly  Christians;  but  upon 
.both  these  points  they  hear  reason ;  and  with  respect  to  drink- 
ing rum  I  have  weaned  those  near  me  a  good-deal  from  it.  As 
for  revenge  they  say,  as  they  have  no  executive  power  of  justice 
amongst  them,  they  are  forced  to  kill  the  man  who  has  injured 
them,  in  order  to  prevent  others  doing  the  like;  but  they  do 
not  think  any  injury,  except  adultery  or  murder,  deserves  re- 
venge. They  hold  that  if  a  man  commits  adultery,  the  injured 
husband  is  obliged  to  have  revenge  by  cutting  off  the  ears  of 
the  adulterer ;  which,  if  he  is  too  strong  or  sturdy  to  submit  to, 
then  the  injured  husband  kills  him  the  first  opportunity  he  has 
to  do  it  with  safety.  In  cases  of  murder,  the  next  in  blood  is 
obliged  to  kill  the  murderer,  or  else  he  is  looked  on  as  infamous 
in  the  nation  where  he  lives ;  and  the  weakness  of  the  execu- 
tive power  is  such,  that  there  is  no  other  way  of  punishment 
but  by  the  revenger  of  blood,  as  the  scripture  calls  it;  for  there 
is  no  coercive  power  in  any  of  their  nations ;  their  kings  can 
do  no  more  than  to  persuade.  All  the  power  they  have  is  no 
more  than  to  call  their  old  men  and  captains  together,  and  to 
propound  to  them  the  measures  they  think  proper ;  and  after 
they  have  done  speaking,  all  the' ethers  have  liberty  to  give 
their  opinions  also  ;  and  they  reason  together  with  great  temper 
and  modesty  till  they  have  brought  each  other  into  some  unani- 
mous resolution.  Then  they  call  in  the  young  men  and  recom- 
mend to  them  the  putting  in  execution  the  resolution,  with  their 
strongest  and  most  lively  eloquence.  And  indeed,  they  seem  to 
me  both  in  action  and  expression  to  be  thorough  masters  of 
true  eloquence.  In  speaking  to  their  young  men,  they  generally 


46  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

address  the  passions.     In  speaking  to  the  old  men  they  apply 
to  reason  only. 

The  appearance  and  characteristics  of  the  Indians  of 
the  coast-region  of  Georgia,  are  thus  described  by  an 
eye-witness,1  whose  observations  were  made  in  1734. 

Thursday,  March  14th. —  This  afternoon  we  were  carried  to 
a  canip  which  some  Indian  hunters  had  in  this  neighborhood, 
[i.  e.  Savannah]  who  were  in  such  condition  as  made  our  hearts 
bleed ;  for  in  the  absence  of  their  chiefs  [who  had  gone  to  meet 
Mr.  Oglethorpe]  they  had  much  disordered  themselves  with 
drinking  of  rum,  a  liquor  very  pernicious  to  them,  and  which 
has  occasioned  the  death  of  great  numbers.  They  were  painted 
with  red,  and  made  strange  postures.  The  most  part  of  them 
are  marked  with  blue  figures  on  their  necks,  faces  and  bodies. 
They  have  beads  about  their  necks,  and  rings  or  colored  feathers 
in  their  ears. 

The  Indian  language,  from  the  best  information  we  can  get, 
containeth  not  above  one  thousand  primitive  words,  and  can 
best  be  written  with  Greek  letters,  because  of  the  long  and 
short  vowels ;  and  some  of  their  sounds  cannot  be  expressed  by 
any  other  alphabet  but  the  Greek.  They  say  that  all  nations 
descend  from  two  brothers :  that  one  of  them, —  the  ancestor 
of  the  Indians, —  was  red,  and  the  other, —  the  ancestor  of  the 
Europeans, —  was  white.  'Tis  probable  these  their  thoughts 
are  grounded  upon  the  history  of  Esau  and  Jacob.  They  had 
known  nothing  of  drunkenness  if  they  had  not  learned  it  of  the 
Christians.  They  give  each  other  several  names  of  honor,  ac- 
cording to  the  time  and  circumstances,  as  a  title  or  reward ; 
whereby  they  encourage  young  people  to  valor,  industry  and 
fidelity. 

They  have  some  religion,  believing  in  a  Supreme  Being 
which  they  call  SOTOLYCATE,  who  is  in  all  places,  though 
they  would  not  teach  us  the  word  by  which  they  express  the 
name  of  GOD  in  their  language.  They  believe  that  from  the 
Supreme  Being  comes  everything,  especially  wisdom.  They 


1  Rev.  Mr.  Bolzius. 


OF  TOMO-cm-cm.  47 

use  no  ceremonies,  nor  outward  religious  exercises,  except  at  a 
solemn  festival  held  once  a  year.  They  worship  no  idols;  how- 
ever they  sing  some  songs  about  the  ancient  heroes.  They  are 
unwilling  to  talk  to  profane  people  about  religion.  They  are 
very  ambitious  j  for  which  reason  they  make  war,  but  not  to 
gain  land.  They  love  to  be  praised ;  though  they  seem  to  turn 
it  off,  and  transfer  it  to  others.  They  show  great  respect 
to  old  people,  to  whom  one  must  speak  first  before  one  can  speak 
to  the  young  people.  If  any  one  dishonors  them,  they  are  not 
to  be  reconciled.  They  account  themselves  to  be  rude  and 
ignorant,  but  are  desirous  to  be  better  instructed.  Of  Indians 
they  have  several  nations,  the  best  among  which  are  the  Creeks 
who  talk  one  language.  One  of  the  other  nations,  who  are 
called  Uchees,  are  much  inclined  to  robbing  and  stealing,  but 
these  Creeks  are  honest,  serviceable  and  disinterested.  He 
that  does  a  kindness  to  them,  they  will  remember  forever.  And 
they  likewise  are  willing  to  give  what  one  desires  of  them, 
though  they  should  want  it  themselves.  If  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
was  to  desire  one  of  them  to  go  with  him  to  England,  or  any 
other  place,  he  would  be  willing ;  unless  he  had  an  old  father 
who  was  helpless  and  wanted  his  assistance.  They  love  one 
another  so  that  they  venture  their  lives  for  one  another.  They 
abhor  adultery.  They  provide  for  the  poor,  the  widows 
and  orphans.  In  their  language  are  no  words  which  denote 
obscene  things  or  oaths,  unless  they  learn  them  from  the  Eu- 
ropeans. Their  kings  do  not  reign  with  absolute  power,  but 
give  counsel.  The  king  proposes  to  the  old  men,  and  the  old 
to  the  young  men ;  after  which  it  is  put  in  execution.  They 
do  not  contradict  one  another  with  vehemence,  but  endeavor 
to  agree ;  and  if  that  cannot  be,  the  superiors  are  not  angry. 
The  king's  office  is  to  divide  the  time;  to  tell  the  season  when 
to  go  a  hunting,  when  to  planting,  and  when  to  harvest.  Like- 
wise he  is  to  attend  the  sick,  give  them  physic,  provide  for 
widows,  and  these  are  called  Kings  of  Peace.  When  a  king  is 
not  fit  for  his  office,  they  choose  another.  The  wisest  is  their 
king,  who  doth  not  distinguish  himself  from  others  by  clothes. 
Besides  these  they  have  War  Captains.  They  give  the  king 
the  tenth  of  all  they  have.  If  a  present  is  made  to  the  king  he 
doth  not  keep  it,  but  distributes  it  among  all.  and  keeps  no- 


48  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

thing  for  himself:  and  afterward  they  give  him  back  the  tenth 
part,  or  pretty  near  it.  The  widows  do  not  cut  their  hair,  nor 
tie  it  up,  but  let  it  hang  loose.  Every  nation  hath  a  peculiar 
way  of  cutting  their  hair,  whereby  they  are  distinguished. 
They  honor  Mr.  Oglethorpe  as  their  father,  and  ask  his  advice 
in  all  their  circumstances.  He  understands  somewhat  of  their 
language.  ********* 
*  * 

When  they  promise  a  thing  they  keep  their  word,  and  would 
rather  die  than  go  from  it.  If  they  find  one  in  a  lie  they  ac- 
count him  unworthy  to  look  upon,  or  shake  hands  with.  An 
old  man,  one  of  the  wisest  among  them,  believed  and  told  them 
that  the  Supreme  Being  would  soon  send  them  some  person  that 
would  show  them  the  right  way  to  wisdom,  [by  which  they  mean 
religion]  though  he  might  not  live  to  see  it.  They  seldom  ask 
for  anything  from  any  body,  but  if  one  offer  them  anything, 
they  do  not  refuse  it.  They  love  equality,  and  will  be  pleased 
with  our  Saltzburgers  who  both  eat  and  labor  in  common.  They 
very  much  observe  people's  behavior.  They  hate  self-interested 
people.  They  reckon  themselves  all  gentlemen,  and  will  do 
nothing  but  what  they  think  to  be  generous.  They  account 
laboring  and  working  for  hire  to  be  a  slavery  ;  therefore  they 
will  not  work  for  gain.  They  reckon  it  a  shame  to  wear  breeches  . 
When  they  go  a  hunting  they  wear  boots  of  woolen  cloth.  Some 
of  them  are  willing  to  send  their  children  to  our  schools  ;  of 
these  children  we  shall  by  degrees  learn  some  words. 

We  have  learned  some  words  of  their  language,  for  instance, 
fire,  a££e,  the  sun,  £uxxw,  house,  giXXivai^a,  the  heel, 
a,  stockings,  npxn,  a  dog.  * 


Tuesday,  March  26.  This  afternoon 

an  Indian  man  that  is  married,  cut  both  ears  and  hair  off  from 
an  Indian  woman,  his  wife,  for  being  too  familiar  with  a  white 
man.  This  is  the  usual  punishment  for  adultery  amongst  the 
Indians.  The  white  man  was  tried  by  a  jury  at  Savannah, 
found  guilty,  and  punished  severely;  with  which  piece  of  jus- 
tice the  Indians  were  greatly  satisfied.1 


1  See  Journal  of  Mr.  Bolzius,  33,  39,  et  seq. 


OF  TOMO-CIII-CHI.  49 

Mr.  William  Bartram  l  in  perpetuating  Ms  impres- 
sions of  the  American  aborigines,  says,  "  The  males 
of  the  Cherokees,  Muscogulges,  Siminoles,  Chicasaws, 
Chactaws  and  confederate  tribes  of  the  Creeks,  are  tall, 
erect  and  moderately  robust ;  their  limbs  well  shaped, 
so  as  generally  to  form  a  perfect  human  figure  ;  their 
features  regular,  and  countenance  open,  dignified  and 
placid;  yet  the  forehead  and  brow  so  formed  as  to 
strike  you  instantly  with  heroism  and  bravery ;  the 
eye,  though  rather  small,  yet  active  and  full  of  fire;  the 
iris  always  black,  and  the  nose  commonly  inclining  to 
the  aquiline.  Their  countenance  and  actions  exhibit 
an  air  of  magnanimity,  superiority  and  independence. 
Their  complexion  of  a  reddish  brown  or  copper  color ; 
their  hair  long,  lank,  coarse  and  black  as  a  raven,  and 
reflecting  the  like  lustre  at  different  exposures  to  the 
light. 

"  The  Muscogulgee  women,  though  remarkably  short 
of  stature,  are  well  formed ;  their  visage  round,  features 
regular  and  beautiful ;  the  brow  high  and  arched  ;  the 
eye  large,  black  and  languishing,  expressive  of  modesty, 
diffidence  and  bashfulness;  these  charms  are  their  de- 
fensive and  offensive  weapons,  and  they  know  very 
well  how  to  play  them  off",  and  under  cover  of  these 
alluring  graces  are  concealed  the  most  subtle  artifice ; 
they  are,  however,  loving  and  affectionate ;  they  are  I 
believe,  the  smallest  race  of  women  yet  known ;  sel- 
dom above  five  feet  high,  and  I  believe  the  greater 
number  never  arrive  to  that  stature  ;  their  hands  and 
feet  not  larger  than  those  of  Europeans  of  nine  or  ten 
years  of  age ;  yet  the  men  are  of  gigantic  stature,  a 
full  size  larger  than  Europeans;  many  of  them  above 


1  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  etc.,  London, 
1792,  481,  et  seq. 

1 


50  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

six  feet,  and  few  under  that,  or  five  feet  eight  or  ten 
inches;  their  complexion  much  darker  than  any  of 
the  tribes  to  the  north  of  them  that  I  have  seen.  This 
description  will,  I  believe,  comprehend  the  Muscogul- 
ges,  their  confederates  the  Choctaws,  and,  I  believe, 
the  Chicasaws  (though  I  have  never  seen  their  wo- 
men), excepting,  however,  some  bands  of  the  Siminoles 
Uches  and  Savannucas,  who  are  rather  taller  and  slen- 
derer, and  their  complexion  brighter. 

The  national  character  of  the  Musco- 
gulgees,  when  considered  in  a  political  view,  exhibits 
a  portraiture  of  a  great  or  illustrious  hero.  A  proud, 
haughty  and  arrogant  race  of  men,  they  are  brave  and 
valiant  in  war,  ambitious  of  conquest,  restless,  and  per- 
petually exercising  their  arms,  yet  magnanimous  and 
merciful  to  a  vanquished  enemy  when  he  submits  and 
seeks  their  friendship  and  protection  ;  always  uniting 
the  vanquished  tribes  in  confederacy  with  them,  when 
they  immediately  enjoy  unexceptionably  every  right 
of  free  citizens,  and  are  from  that  moment  united  in 
one  common  band  of  brotherhood.  They  were  never 
known  to  exterminate  a  tribe,  except  the  Yamasees,  who 
would  never  submit  on  any  terms,  but  fought  it  out  to 
the  last, —  only  about  forty  or  fifty  of  them  escaping 
at  the  last  decisive  battle,  who  threw  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  the  Spaniards  at  St.  Augustine." 

Like  other  American  Indians,  they  were  fond  of  or- 
naments, colors  and  decorations.  Their  lives  were  spent 
in  comparative  idleness, —  the  men  lounging  about  their 
places  of  abode,  except  when  engaged  in  the  chase,  in 
fishing,  in  war  or  the  dance,  and  the  women  being 
compelled  to  assume  all  the  drudgery  of  their  wigwams 
and  the  scanty  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Their  seats 
were  generally  more  permanent  than  those  of  the  north- 
ern Indians,  and  were  usually  located  upon  the  sea- 


OF  TOMO-GHI-CHI.  51 

islands,  along  the  coast,  or  in  the  neighborhood  of 
streams  or  deep  swamps,  whence  could  be  readily  ob- 
tained an  abundant  supply  of  oysters,  fish  and  game. 
Few  are  the  organic  remains  reminding  us  at  present 
of  the  former  existence  of  this  once  powerful  confede- 
racy. And  yet  the  Creeks  have  not  passed  away  with- 
out a  mark.  Their  language, —  often  so  soft  and  mu- 
sical,—  is  linked  with  many  a  prominent  natural  object. 
The  Chattahoochee  in  its  onward  flow  bears  upon  its 
bosom  the  memory  of  those  who  long  ago  cherished  a 
special  attachment  for  and  named  this  stone-flowered 
stream.  The  sullen  swamps  of  the  Alatamaha  are 
typical  of  their  darker  moods,  while  the  clear  dancing 
waters  of  the  Ogeechee  and  its  low-lying  shores  be- 
speak their  former  joys  and  peaceful  avocations.  Long 
after  the  graves  of  their  chieftains  shall  have  been 
levelled  with  the  plains  from  which  they  rose,  when 
the  plough-share  no  longer  reveals  the  stones  which 
they  chiselled  into  use  and  symmetry,  these  names  will 
perpetuate  the  recollection  of  those  who  beheld  and 
admired  and  floated  upon  and  drank  of  these  life-giv- 
ing streams. 

The  most  prominent  organic  remains  of  the  Creeks 
are  the  earth  and  shell  mounds,  which  occur  not  unfre- 
quently  upon  the  islands,  along  the  coast  and  upon 
the  banks  of  the  streams.  The  limits  of  this  sketch  will 
not  permit  either  their  classification,  or  a  particular  de- 
scription of  them.1  These  tumuli  were  chiefly  designed 
as  the  last  resting  places  of  the  departed,  and  their 
erection  appears  to  have  been  entirely  abandoned  very 
shortly  after  the  contact  between  the  white  and  red 
races.  In  addition  to  these  mounds  may  be  enumer- 


1  The  writer  lias  in  course  of  preparation  an  extended  description  of 
the  Indian  remains  extant  within  the  limits  of  Georgia. 


52  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

ated  elevations  for  the  chieftain  lodges  or  town  houses, 
and  carefully  prepared  spaces  for  ball-playing  and  the 
quoit-game.  The  remains  of  funereal  vases,  terra-cotta 
pots,  pans  and  vessels,  specimens  of  stone  axes,  knives, 
arrow  and  spear  points,  mortars,  pipes,  beads  and 
ornaments  of  various  kinds  are  to  be  still  seen  in 
many  localities.  To  these  may  be  added  hurling 
stones,  agakwuts,  discoidal  stones,  pestles,  fleshing 
knives,  bone-awls,  and  various  articles  at  one  time  in 
common  use  among  the  Creeks.  Fashioned  all  in  the 
same  rude  manner,  and  born  of  their  simple  necessi- 
ties, they  barely  answered  the  purposes  for  which  they 
were  designed  by  the  unskilled  aborigines,  and  are 
now  garnered  up  only  by  the  antiquary  as  in  lonely 
places  he  seeks  for  the  perishing  memorials  of  a  neg- 
lected past. 

It  seems  quite  probable  that  the  Creeks  possessed 
little  if  any  knowledge  of  metals.  There  is  certainly 
in  their  ancient  tumuli  a  remarkable  absence  of  all 
metalic  implements  and  ornaments.  After  no  mean 
search  the  writer  has  thus  far  failed  to  discover  a  sin- 
gle well  authenticated  specimen  of  this  character.  Iron 
hatchets,  portions  of  swords  and  corroded  gun  barrels, 
and  silver  ornaments  are  sometimes  found,  but  they 
are  evidently  of  European  manufacture  and  are  the 
least  interesting  of  all  the  organic  remains.  In  the 
valleys  of  the  Etowah  and  Oostenaulla,  and  elsewhere 
within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Georgia,  antique  im- 
plements and  ornaments  of  copper,  silver  and  gold  have 
been  found;  but  they  were  never  fashioned  by  the 
Creeks,  and  are  to  be  referred  for  an  origin  to  a  race 
antedating  the  Indians  who  occupied  these  regions 
when  they  were  first  visited  by  the  whites. 

It  may  not  be  deemed  uninteresting  to  mention  the 
fact  that  the  existence  and  worship  of  idols  were  uu- 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  53 

known  among  the  tribes  composing  the  Creek  con- 
federacy. The  writer  has,  at  no  little  labor  and 
expense,  collected  many  interesting  relics  illustra- 
tive of  the  manners,  customs,  arts,  manufactures  and 
amusements  of  the  Indians  of  southern  Georgia.  A 
specific  description  of  them  is  here  pretermitted,  as  he 
cherishes  the  hope,  at  no  distant  day,  to  present,  with 
accurate  illustrations,  all  that  is  known  of  the  organic 
remains  of  the  Creek  confederacy  and  other  southern 
tribes.1 


1  For  further  description  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Georgia 
and  Carolina  Indians,  see  De  Brahm's  History  of  South  Carolina,, 
Georgia  and  East  Florida  ;  Manuscripts,  53,  76,  Harvard  Library.  See 
also  partial  reprint  in  Documents  connected  with  the  History  of  South 
Carolina,  edited  by  Plowden  Charles  Jennett  Weston,  and  printed  for 
private  distribution  only,  216,  et  seq.  See  also  Sketch  of  the  Creek  Con- 
federacy, by  Col.  Benjamin  Hawkins ;  Collections  of  the  Georgia  His- 
torical Society,  in,  part  1. 


54  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


CHAPTER  in. 

Anecdotes  of  Tomo-chi-chi  —  His  visit  to  England. 


lUBSEQUENTLY  to  the  ratification  of  the 
treaty  of  amity  and  trade  between  the  colony 
of  Georgia  and  the  head  men  of  the  Lower 
Creeks,  Tomo-chi-chi  returned  to  his  town  at 
Yamacraw,  where  he  continued, —  by  his  personal  aid 
and  advice,  and  by  every  means  at  his  command, —  to 
further  the  interests  of  the  settlers  at  Savannah.  He  was 
in  daily  intercourse  with  the  whites, —  presenting  them 
with  game  and  fish, — furnishing  guides  for  their  parties 
of  exploration, —  encouraging  good  feeling  between 
them  and  the  natives,  and  on  every  occasion  exerting 
his  influence  in  behalf  of  peace  and  justice.  With 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  he  frequently  dined,  and  between  them 
\  sprung  up  a  mutual  regard  and  attachment  which  never 
knew  abatement  or  lacked  of  increase. 

For  Mr.  Oglethorpe  the  Indians  entertained  a  pro- 
found respect,  amounting  almost  to  veneration.  So 
strongly  impressed  were  they  with  his  probity  and 
ability,  that  at  an  early  day  they  referred  to  him  for 
settlement  a  controversy  which  had  arisen  between 
the  lichees  and  the  Lower  Creek's.  At  the  time,  this 
altercation  had  assumed  such  a  violent  form  that  it 
betokened  a  fierce  and  general  war  between  the  re- 
spective tribes.  In  his  decision  they  coincided  with- 
out a  murmur,  and  peace  was  at  once  restored. 

During  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  absence  in  Charleston  in 
June,  1733,  an  Indian  shot  himself.  His  uncle  [who 
was  a  war-king]  and  his  friends  finding  him  dead, — 
and  fancying  that  he  had  been  murdered  by  the  Eng- 


OF  TOMO-CH1-CHI.  55 

^ —  declared  that  they  would  be  revenged  on  them. 
When  informed  of  the  uproar,  Tomo-chi-chi  hastened 
at  once  to  the  spot  and  endeavored  by  every  argument 
to  pacify  the  excited  multitude,  asserting  his  positive 
persuasion  that  the  English  could  not  have  been  guilty 
of  the  murder,  and  earnestly  desiring  them  to  inquire 
further  into  the  matter  before  proceeding  to  any  act  of 
violence.  The  uncle  of  the  deceased  continuing  in  a 
great  rage,  and  swearing  vengeance,  Tomo-chi-chi 
finally  bared  his  breast  and  said  to  him,  "  If  you  desire 
to  kill  any  one,  kill  me;  for  I  am  an  Englishman." 
Having  finally  succeeded  in  pacifying  him,  and  a 
thorough  examination  having  been  instituted  into  the 
facts  of  the  case,  it  turned  out  that  the  deceased  had 
been  for  some  time  in  a  very  dejected  mood,  and  that 
he  had  on  more  than  one  occasion  during  that  period 
desired  different  Indians  to  shoot  him.  His  request 
being  continuously  denied,  an  Indian  boy  saw  him 
finally  put  the  muzzle  of  his  own  gun  under  his  chin, 
and  pull  the  trigger  with  his  toe ;  thus  terminating  his 
existence  by  his  own  act.1 

In  a  letter  of  the  9th  of  June,  1733,  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
mentions  the  following  circumstance.  He  had  ordered 
one  of  the  Carolina  boatmen,  who  was  drunk  and  had 
beaten  an  Indian,  to  be  tied  to  a  gun  until  he  was 
sober,  in  order  that  he  might  be  whipped.  Tomo-chi- 
chi  requested  Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  pardon  him,  which  he 
refused  to  do  unless  the  Indian  who  had  been  beaten 
would  unite  in  the  request.  This  Tomo-chi-chi  de- 
sired him  to  do,  but  he  insisted  upon  having  satisfac- 
tion. "  O  Fonseka,"  [that  was  the  Indian's  name]  said 
Tomo-chi-chi,  "  this  Englishman  being  drunk  has 
beaten  you  :  if  he  is  whipped  for  so  doing,  the  Eng- 


1  New  England  Weekly  Journal  for  August  23d,  1733. 


56  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

lishmen  will  expect  that  if  an  Indian  should  insult 
them  when  drunk,  the  Indian  should  be  whipped  for 
it.  When  you  are  drunk  you  are  quarrelsome,  and 
you  know  you  love  to  be  drunk,  but  you  don't  love 
to  be  whipped."  Fonseka  was  convinced,  and  urged 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  pardon  the  man.  So  soon  as  this 
request  was  granted,  Tomo-chi-chi  and  Fonseka  ran 
and  untied  him ;  which  was  done  in  order  to  show  him 
that  he  owed  his  release  to  their  intercession. 

These  occurrences,  unimportant  in  their  character, 
are  recounted  to  show  the  anxiety  at  all  times  mani- 
fested by  Tomo-chi-chi  to  prevent  any  act  of  violence 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  and  to  encourage  a  feeling 
of  friendship  between  the  two  races. 

To  De  Brahm  we  are  indebted  for  the  following 
narrative  illustrative  of  the  supposed  visit  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter Raleigh  to  the  coast  of  Georgia : 

1  "  Between  the  city  [Savannah]  and  the  trustees'  garden,  is 
an  artificial  hill  upon  the  bay,  part  of  which  in  1760  was  dug 
through  ;  [to  open  a  communication  with  this  suburb  and  the 
city]  whereby  a  stratum  was  opened  near  the  plane  of  the  city, 
filled  with  human  bones;  this  confirmed  the  history  of  this 
mount  which  had  traduced  it  to  be  an  ancient  Indian  burying 
ground,  in  which  [as  Thamachaychee,  the  last  lamacraw  king, 
related  to  Gen.  Oglethorpe  at  his  arrival ;]  one  of  the  lama- 
craw  kings  had  entertained  a  great  white  man  with  a  red  beard, 
who  had  entered  the  port  of  Savannah  stream  with  a  very  large 
vessel,  and  himself  came  up  in  his  barge  to  lamacraw,  and  had 
expressed  great  affection  to  the  Indians,  from  which  he  hath 
had  the  return  of  as  much.  The  white  man  with  his  red  beard, 
intending  to  present  the  king  with  a  piece  of  curiosity  [he  had 
on  board  of  his  vessel,]  for  which  he  desired  some  Indians 


1  History  of  the  Province  of  Georgia,  etc.,  by  John  Gerar  William 
De  Brahm,  his  Majesty's  Surveyor  General,  etc.,  Wonnsloe,  MDCCCXLIX, 
37,  et  seq. 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  57 

might  go  down  to  receive  it  from  his  lieutenant  on  board,  to 
whom  he  wrote  a  note  which  he  signified  the  Indians  would 
deliver  to  this  officer,  who  [pursuant  to  the  order  in  the  note] 
delivered  what  was  demanded,  and  the  Indians  brought  it  up 
to  lamacraw,  at  which  their  king  was  greatly  surprised,  but 
more  so  that  this  white  man  could  send  his  thoughts  to  so  great 
a  distance  upon  a  white  leaf,  which,  surpassing  their  conception, 
they  were  ready  to  believe  this  white  to  be  more  than  a  man, 
as  the  Indians .  have  no  other  way  to  express  time  passed  or  to 
come  than  by  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun,  by  new  moons,  by 
sprouting  of  the  trees  and  the  number  of  their  ancestors ;  the 
General  [Oglethorpe]  by  the  nearest  computations,  and  compar- 
ing history  with  chronology,  concluded  the  person  to  have  been 
Admiral  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  probably  entered  the  Savan- 
nah port  in  1584  when  on  his  navigation  upon  this  coast."1 

Having  advanced  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability  the 
security  and  material  interests  of  the  colony,  having 
rendered  certain  the  good-will  of  the  natives  and  lo- 
cated the  Saltzburgers  comfortably  at  Ebenezer,  hav- 
ing made  an  extended  survey  of  the  southern  coast  and 


1  This  visit  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  to  the  coast  of  Georgia  is  thus 
alluded  to  by  Rev.  Dr.  Hewitt,  in  his  Historical  Account  of  the  Rise 
and  Progress  of  the  Colonies  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  n,  25, 
London  edition  of  1779  : 

"  Some  say  that  James  Oglethorpe  when  he  came  out  to  settle  this 
colony  in  Georgia  brought  along  with  him  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  jour- 
nals written  by  his  own  hand  ;,  and  by  the  latitude  of  the  place  and 
the  traditions  of  the  Indians,  it  appeared  to  him  that  Sir  Walter  had 
landed  at  the  mouth  of  Savanna  river.  Indeed,  during  his  wild  and 
chimerical  attempts  for  finding  out  a  golden  country,  it  is  not  impro- 
bable that  this  brave  adventurer  visited  many  different  places.  The 
Indians  acknowledged  that  their  fathers  once  held  a  conference  with 
a  warrior  who  came  over  the  great  waters.  At  a  little  distance  from 
Savanna  there  is  a  high  mount  of  earth  under  which  they  say  the 
Indian  king  lies  interred  who  talked  with  the  English  warrior,  and 
that  he  desired  to  be  buried  in  the  same  place  where  this  conference 
was  held.  But  having  little  authority  with  respect  to  this  matter, 
we  leave  the  particular  relation  of  it  to  men  in  circumstances  more 
favorable  for  intelligence." 

8 


58  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

established  posts  of  observation  at  convenient  distances, 
and  having  employed  every  means  which  the  utmost 
care,  prudence  and  sound  judgment  could  suggest,  in 
furtherance  of  the  prosperity  and  development  of  his  pro- 
vince, Mr.  Oglethorpe  resolved  to  visit  England  to  the 
end  that  the  trustees  and  the  public  generally  might  be 
fully  informed  of  the  true  state  of  affairs,  have  their 
sympathies  enlisted  anew  in  behalf  of  the  benevolent 
enterprise,  and  thus  increase  the  population  and  re- 
sources of  the  colony  by  liberal  contributions  of  men 
and  means.     Rightly  judging  that  the  advantage  and 
security  of  the  province  would  be  materially  promoted 
by  taking  with  him  some  of  the  most  intelligent  of  his 
Indian  neighbors,  in  order  that  they  might,  by  personal 
observation,  acquire  a  definite  conception  of  the  great- 
ness and  the   resources  of  the  British    empire,  and, 
moved  by  the  kindnesses  and  attentions  which  he  was 
quite  sure  would  be  extended  to  them  on  every  hand 
while  in   England,  bring  back  with  them  memories 
which  would  surely  tend  to  cement  the  alliances  and 
perpetuate  the  amicable  relationships  which  had  been 
already  so  auspiciously  inaugurated,  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
invited  Tomo-chi-chi  to  accompany  him  on  his  intended 
visit.     The  old  mico  gladly  accepted  the  invitation 
and  took  with  him  his  wife  Scenawki,  and  Toonahowi 
his  adopted  son  and  nephew.     Hillispilli  the  war-chief 
of  the  Lower  Creeks,  four  other  chiefs  of  that  nation, 
to  wit:    Apakowtski,  Stimalchi,  Sintouchi  and  Hin- 
guithi,  and  Umphichi  a  Uchee  chief  from  Palachocolas, 
with  their  attendants  and  an  interpreter,  constituted 
the  retinue.     Leaving  Savannah,  they  reached  Charles- 
ton on  the  27th  of  March,  and  sailed  from  that  port  for 
England  on  board  his  majesty's  ship  Aldborough  on  the 
7th  of  April,  1734.    After  a  voyage  of  seventy  days  that 
vessel  arrived  safely  at  St.  Helens  in  the  Isle  of  Wight. 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  59 

In  announcing  his  arrival  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
Sir  John  Phillips,  Baronet,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  says :  "  An 
aged  chief  named  Torao-chi-chi,  the  raico  or  king  of 
Yamacraw,  a  man  of  an  excellent  understanding,  is  so 
desirous  of  having  the  young  people  taught  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  religion,  that,  notwithstanding  his 
advanced  age,  he  has  come  over  with  me  to  obtain 
means  and  assistant  teachers.  He  has  brought  with 
him  a  young  man  whom  he  calls  his  nephew  and  next 
heir,  and  who  has  already  learned  the  Lord's  prayer 
in  the  English  and  Indian  language.  I  shall  leave  the 
Indians  at  my  estate  till  I  go  to  the  city,  where  I  shall 
have  the  happiness  to  wait  upon  you,  and  to  relate  all 
things  to  you  more  fully  :  over  which  you  will  rejoice 
and  wonder." 

On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  June,  a  grand  enter- 
tainment was  given  in  honor  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  who 
presented  to  the  trustees  a  detailed  narrative  of  the 
progress  and  the  then  status  of  the  colony  of  Georgia. 

His  reception  was  cordial  and  appropriate.  Every 
mark  of  distinguished  consideration  was  bestowed,  and 
the  trustees, —  at  a  special  meeting  convened  for  that 
purpose, —  by  a  unanimous  vote,  thanked  him  for  the 
ability,  zeal,  activity  and  perseverance  with  which  he 
had  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  province,  and  assured 
him  that  they  would  hold  his  services  in  lively  and 
grateful  remembrance.  The  return  of  this  philanthro- 
pist was  heralded  throughout  the  kingdom  with  pride 
and  in  honor.  His  Roman  virtues  were  glowingly  re- 
counted in  prose  and  verse. 

The  visit  of  Tomo-chi-chi  was  also  commemorated 
in  the  following  lines : 


60  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

TOMO-CHA-CHI, 

AN  ODE. 

Hanc  olim  veteres  vitam  eoluere  Sabini, 

Hanc  Remus  et  frater :  sic  fortis  Hetruria  crevit, 

Silicet  et  reruin  facta  est  pulcherrima  Roma. 


What  Stranger  this  ?  and  from  what  Region  far  ? 

This  wond'rous  Form,  majestic  to  behold  ? 

Uncloath'd,  but  arm'd  offensive  for  the  War, 

In  hoary  Age  and  wise  Experience  old  ? 

His  Limbs,  inur'd  to  Hardiness  and  Toil, 

His  strong  large  Limbs  what  mighty  Sinews  brace ! 

Whilst  Truth  sincere  and  artless  Virtue  smile 

In  the  expressive  Features  of  his  Face. 

His  bold  free  Aspect  speaks  the  inward  Mind, 

Aw'd  by  no  slavish  Fear,  from  no  vile  Passion  blind. 

Erst  in  our  Isle,  with  such  an  Air  and  Mien, 

Whilst  Britain's  Glory  stood  in  Times  of  Yore, 

Might  some  redoubted  Chief  of  her's  be  seen, 

In  all  his  painted  Pride,  upon  the  Shore. 

Or  He,  who  graceful  from  the  Chariot's  Height, 

When  conqu'ring  Julius  landed  from  the  Main, 

Urg'd  his  confederated  Tribes  to  fight 

For  gen'rous  Freedom, —  fierce  Cassibelan; 

Or  He,  whose  Fame,  in  Roman  Annals  told, 

Must  live  thro'  ev'ry  Age, —  Caractacus  the  Bold. 

From  the  wide  Western  Continent  of  Land, 
Where  yet  uncultivated  Nature  reigns, 
Where  the  huge  Forests  undiminished  stand, 
Nor  Towns,  nor  Castles  grace  the  naked  Plains ; 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1.  61 

From  that  new  World  undaunted  he  pursues 

To  our  fam'd  Nation  his  advent' rous  Way ; 

His  Soul  elated  high  with  glorious  Views, 

Our  Strength,  our  Arts,  our  Manners  to  survey ; 

The  boasted  European  skill  to  find, 

And  bear  triumphant  home,  and  civilize  his  kind. 

And  0  !  the  idle  impotent  Disdain 

Of  vulgar  Error,  partial  to  decide  ! 

Must  he  be  stil'd  by  Us  a  Savage  Man  ? 

0  !  the  blind  Folly  of  conceited  Pride  ! 

Ever  by  Reason's  equal  Dictates  sway'd, 

Conscious  of  each  great  Impulse  in  the  Soul, 

And  all  his  Words  and  all  his  Actions  weigh'd 

By  unaffected  Wisdom's  just  Controul, 

Must  he  be  rank'd  in  an  inferiour  Place, 

In  our  inglorious  Times,  to  our  degenerate  Race  ! 

Alas!  brave  Indian,  good  old  England's  Fame 
Thou  sees't  sunk  down  from  its  Meridian  Height ; 
The  noblest  Ardors  now  no  more  inflame, 
Of  conscious  Worth  and  Honor's  dear  Delight ; 
As  then,  when  welcom'd  to  your  happy  Shore, 
Our  Fleets  first  landed  from  the  wat'ry  way, 
And  each  strange  Region  studious  to  explore, 
Pass'd  the  long  Gulf,  and  vast  Pacific  Sea; 
And  round  emerging  to  the  Eastern  main, 
Maintain'd  from  Sun  to  Sun  their  Gloriana's  Reign. 

Wealth  without  End,  from  such  Exploits  as  These, 

Crown'd  our  large  Commerce,  and  extended  Sway; 

And  hence,  dissolv'd  in  soft  luxurious  Ease, 

Our  ancient  Virtue  vanish'd  soon  away. 

Rare  to  be  found  is  the  old  gen'rous  Strain 

So  fam'd  amongst  us  once  for  Patriot  Zeal, 

Of  try'd  Good  Faith,  and  Manners  stanch  and  plain, 

And  bold  and  active  for  their  Country's  weal ; 

Clear  from  all  Stain,  superior  to  all  Fear; 

Alas  !  few  such  as  These,  few  OGLETHORPES  are  here. 


62  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

Oft  hast  thou  seen  His  gallant  Spirit  prov'd, 

His  noble  Scorn  of  Danger  oft  hast  known, 

Admir'd  his  Wisdom,  and  his  Candor  lov'd, 

And  Openness  of  Heart,  so  like  thy  own  ; 

What  time,  at  home  before  long  lov'd  and  blest, 

He  to  Thy  Country  brought  his  Godlike  Aim, 

Born  as  he  is,  to  succor  the  Distrest, 

The  Prey  from  proud  Oppression  to  reclaim, 

Of  lawless  Might  to  curbe  the  impious  Rage, 

And  strike  with  conscious  shame  the  prostituted  Age. 

Oft  hast  thou  seen  with  what  assiduous  Care 

His  own  young  Infant  Colony  he  rears ; 

Like  a  fond  Parent,  anxious  to  prepare 

His  tender  Offspring  for  maturer  years, 

To  love  of  Labor  he  subdues  their  Minds, 

And  forms  their  Morals  with  instructive  Laws, 

By  Principle  their  solid  union  binds, 

And  Zeal  that  only  heeds  the  Public  Cause ; 

Still  with  Example  strengthening  Reason's  Call, 

Still  by  superior  Toil  distinguish'd  from  them  all. 

Whate'er  of  Empire  underneath  the  Sun 

Time  thro'  revolving  Ages  has  survey'd, 

First  from  such  manly  Discipline  begun, 

And  Merit  summon'd  Fortune  to  its  Aid. 

And  hence,  when  Op'ning  scenes  of  Fate  make  known 

The  long  determin'd  Purpose  of  the  Skies, 

Shall  GEORGIA,  to  a  mighty  Nation  grown, 

In  Arts  and  Arms  and  Glorious  Actions  rise, 

And  stand  renown'd  upon  the  Western  Shore, 

Ev'n  then,  when  Europe's  Fame  shall  cease  and  be  no  more. 

Renown'd  shall  GEORGIA  stand  it's  own  short  Hour, 
For  soon  must  all  that's  Human  pass  away ; 
Fix'd  are  the  gradual  Dates  of  Earthly  Pow'r, 
To  rise,  to  grow,  to  flourish,  and  decay ; 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  63 

Still  the  Effect  must  follow  from  the  Cause, 

And  every  Work  of  mortal  Men  must  fall, 

And  kingdom's  change  by  Nature's  stated  Laws, 

Forever  round  the  habitable  Ball : 

All  must,  in  turn,  the  self-same  Tenor  run ; 

All  raised  by  honest  Toil,  by  License  all  undone. 

But  sacred  Virtue,  ever  self-sustain'd, 

Whilst  all  things  fleeting  round  her  she  surveys, 

Alone  to  Time  shall  unobnoxious  stand, 

And  live  and  flourish  in  perpetual  Praise. 

Thine  with  thy  OGLETHORPE'S  fair  Fame  shall  last, 

Together  to  Eternity  consign'd, 

In  the  immortal  Roll  of  Heroes  plac'd, 

The  mighty  Benefactors  of  Mankind  ; 

Those  Heav'n-born  Souls  from  whose  high  Worth  we  know 

The  Deity  himself  best  imag'd  Here  below.1 

Having  for  some  days  enjoyed  the  hospitalities  of 
Mr.  Oglethorpe,  the  Indians  were  transferred  to  the 
Georgia  office  where  comfortable  quarters  had  been 
intermediately  provided  for  them.  There  they  were 
suitably  attired,  and  there  they  painted  their  faces 
according  to  the  custom  of  their  country.  Crowds 
flocked  to  see  them.  Presents  of  various  kinds  were 
bestowed  upon  them  and  no  effort  was  spared  to  inter- 
est, amuse  and  instruct  these  strange  visitors. 

On  the  1st  of  August  Sir  Clement  Cotterell  was  sent 
to  conduct  the  Indians  to  Kensington  Palace  where 
they  were  to  be  presented  to  the  king.  He  found  them 


1  Georgia  a  Poem,  Tomo-cha-chi,  an  Ode. —  A  copy  of  verses  on  Mr. 
Oglethorpe's  second  voyage  to  Georgia. 

Facies  non  omnibus  una, 
Nee  di versa  tamen. 

London,  printed  and  sold  by  I.  Roberts  in  Warwick  Lane,  MDCCXXXVI, 
12,  16. 


64  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

all  prepared  for  the  important  event,  except  one  who 
was  suffering  severely  from  an  attack  of  small-pox. 
They  were  conveyed  in  three  of  the  king's  coaches, 
each  drawn  by  six  horses.  At  the  door  of  the  palace 
they  were  received  by  the  king's  body  guard;  and 
then  by  the  duke  of  Grafton,  lord  chamberlain,  were 
presented  to  his  majesty. 

The  following  account  of  what  transpired  on  this 
interesting  occasion  is  borrowed  from  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine : 

Thursday,  August  1,  1734. 

Toruo-cha-chi,  the  king,  Senauki  his  wife,  with  Tooana- 
kowki  their  son,  Hillispilli  the  war-captain,  and  the  other  Che- 
rokee Indians  brought  over  by  Mr.  Oglethorpe  from  Georgia, 
were  introduced  to  his  Majesty  at  Kensington,  who  received 
them  seated  on  his  throne;  when  Tomo-cha-chi,  micho,  or  king, 
made  the  following  speech,  at  the  same  time  presenting  several 
eagle's  feathers  which  are  trophies  of  their  country : 

"  This  day  I  see  the  majesty  of  your  face,  the  greatness  of 
your  house,  and  the  number  of  your  people.  I  am  come  for 
the  good  of  the  whole  nation  called  the  Creeks,  to  renew  the 
peace  which  was  long  ago  had  with  the  English.  I  am  come 
over  in  my  old  days,  although  I  cannot  live  to  see  any  advant- 
age to  myself.  I  am  come  for  the  good  of  the  children  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  Upper  and  of  the  Lower  Creeks,  that  they 
may  be  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  the  English. 

"  These  are  the  feathers  of  the  eagle  which  is  the  swiftest  of 
birds,  and  who  flieth  all  round  our  nations.  These  feathers  are 
a  sign  of  peace  in  our  land,  and  have  been  carried  from  town  to 
town  there ;  and  we  have  brought  them  over  to  leave  with  you, 
0  great  king  !  as  a  sign  of  everlasting  peace. 

"  0  great  king  whatsoever  words  you  shall  say  to  me  I  will  tell 
them  faithfully  to  all  the  kings  of  the  Creek  nations." 

To  which  his  Majesty  graciously  answered,  "  I  am  glad  of 
this  opportunity  of  assuring  you  of  my  regard  for  the  people 
from  whom  you  come,  and  am  extremely  well  pleased  with  the 
assurances  you  have  brought  me  from  them,  and  accept  very 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  65 

gratefully  this  present  as  an  indication  of  their  good  disposition 
to  me  and  my  people.  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  cultivate  a 
good  correspondence  between  them  and  my  own  subjects,  and 
shall  be  glad  of  any  occasion  to  show  you  a  mark  of  my  parti- 
cular friendship  and  esteem." 

Toino-cha-chi  afterwards  made  the  following  speech  to  her 
Majesty.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  this  day,  and  to  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  mother  of  this  great  people.  As  our  people 
are  joined  with  your  Majesty's,  we  do  humbly  hope  to  find  you  the 
common  mother  and  protectress  of  us  and  all  our  children." 

And  her  Majesty  returned  a  most  gracious  answer.  The 
war-captain  and  other  attendants  of  Tomo-cha-chi  were  very 
importunate  to  appear  at  court  in  the  manner  they  go  in  their 
own  country, —  which  is  only  with  a  proper  covering  round  their 
waist,  the  rest  of  their  body  being  naked, —  but  were  dissuaded 
from  it  by  Mr.  Oglethorpe.  But  their  faces  were  variously 
painted  after  their  country  manner,  some  half  black,  others 
triangular,  and  others  with  bearded  arrows  instead  of  whiskers. 

Tomo-cha-chi  and  Senauki  his  wife,  were  dressed  in  scarlet 
trimmed  with  gold. 

Three  days  after,  the  chief,  who  had  heen  prevented 
hy  illness  from  accompanying  his  companions  when 
they  were  presented  to  the  king,  died  of  small-pox. 
Every  medical  aid  and  kind  attention  had  been  in- 
voked in  his  behalf,  but  neither  the  skill  of  the 
physician  nor  the  efforts  of  nurses  could  arrest  the 
progress  of  the  loathsome  disease.  His  death  weighed 
heavily  upon  the  spirits  of  the  other  Indians  who  were 
very  averse  to  interring  him  in  a  strange  land.  His 
immediate  sepulture,  however,  was  a  matter  of  absolute 
necessity;  and  here,  so  far  as  our  information  exteods, 
occurs  the  first  burial  of  an  American  chief  on  British 
soil.  A  grave  was  prepared  in  St.  John's  cemetery, 
Westminster.  Tomo-chi-chi,  three  of  the  chiefs,  the 
upper  church-warden  and  the  grave-digger  were  the 
only  persons  present  on  the  lonely  and  melancholy 
9 


66  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

occasion,  —  the  fear  of  infection,  in  all  probability,  de- 
terring many  who  otherwise  would  doubtless  have 
been  in  attendance  to  witness  the  novel  funeral  rites. 

The  custom  of  the  natives  was  observed  as  nearly 
as  circumstances  would  permit.  The  corpse,  sewed 
up  in  two  blankets,  with  a  deal-board  over  and  another 
under  lashed  together  with  a  cord,  —  was  carried  to 
the  grave  on  a  bier.  When  the  body  was  lowered  in 
the  earth,  the  clothes  of  the  deceased,  a  quantity  of 
glass  beads  and  some  pieces  of  silver  were  thrown 
in  the  grave,  after  the  manner  of  the  American  In- 
dians whose  universal  custom  it  was  to  bury  with  the 
dead  the  effects  of  the  deceased. 

So  depressed  were  the  Indians  by  this  bereavement, 
in  order  to  divert  their  attention  and  afford  them  an 
opportunity  for  quietly  regaining  their  wonted  com- 
posure, Mr.  Oglethorpe  very  kindly  took  them  out  to  his 
country-seat.  There  they  remained  for  nearly  two 
weeks;  when,  having  bewailed  the  dead  according  to 
the  established  usages  of  their  nation,  they  recovered  in 
great  degree  from  the  affliction  which  had  so  greatly 
distressed  them.  The  deceased  was  a  brother  of  the 
queen. 

On  Saturday  the  7th  of  August,  Tomo-chi-chi  and 
his  companions  were  conveyed  in  the  barge  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  to  Putney,  where  they 
were  most  hospitably  entertained  by  the  Lady  Dutry. 
After  dinner,  in  taking  leave  of  her,  the  aged  mico 
expressed  his  regrets  that  he  was  unable  in  English  to 
convey  the  thoughts  of  his  heart,  and  tell  her  how  sen- 
sibly he  was  moved  by  the  generous  and  noble  recep- 
tion she  had  given  him,  and  the  great  gratification  he 
experienced  in  being  permitted  to  see  and  thank  her 
in  person  for  the  assistance  she  had  rendered  in  peo- 
pling the  colony  of  Georgia. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  67 

The  following  day  they  waited  upon  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  at  Lambeth.  His  venerable  grace  re- 
ceived them  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  tenderness, 
expressing  a  fatherly  concern  for  their  ignorance  with 
respect  to  Christianity,  his  strong  desire  for  their  in- 
struction, and  his  sincere  gratification  at  the  probability 
that  a  door  was  now  opened  for  the  education  and 
evangelization  of  their  race. 

Although  very  weak,  his  grace,  when  pressed  to  do 
so,  declined  to  sit  during  the  interview.  Tomo-chi-chi 
perceiving  this,  with  becoming  propriety  and  consi- 
deration omitted  the  reply  which  he  had  proposed 
making;  and,  craving  the  blessing  of  the  aged  prelate, 
added  that  he  would  not  trespass  further  upon  his 
weakness,  but  would  communicate  to  his  son-in-law, 
Dr.  Lynch,  what  he  desired  to  say.  He  then  retired. 
Subsequently,  at  a  splendid  collation  given  in  his 
honor,  he  had  an  extended  and  cordial  conference  with 
Dr.  Lynch,  during  which  he  expressed  the  great  satis- 
faction he  had  experienced  in  his  interview  with  the 
archbishop,  and  stated  that  he  was  deeply  moved  by 
the  tender  consideration  which  had  been  accorded  to 
him.  He  urged  upon  the  doctor's  earnest  considera- 
tion the  necessity  for  sending  teachers  to  Georgia,  by 
whom  his  people  might  be  educated  and  their  minds 
enlightened  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  At  part- 
ing he  assured  him  of  the  joy  which  filled  his  heart  in 
anticipation  of  the  fact  that  good  persons  would  soon 
be  commissioned  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  most 
important  and  desirable  work. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  their  visit  to  Eton,  the  Indians 
wore  received  with  every  mark  of  respect  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  George,  Dr.  Berriman  and  the  rest  of  the  fellows. 
"  On  closing  their  visit  to  the  school-room,  Tomo-chi- 
chi  begged  that  the  lads  might  have  a  holiday  when 


68  HISTORICAL  SKETt  // 

,  the  doctor  thought  proper;  which  caused  a  general 
]  huzza.  They  were  then  shown  the  several  apartments 
of  the  college,  and  took  a  respectful  leave.  After- 
wards they  went  to  Windsor  where  they  were  graciously 
received;  and  thence  to  St.  George's  chapel,  where  the 
prebends  present  named  Dr.  Maynard  to  compliment 
the  mico  for  the  dean  and  chapter.  The  following 
day  they  went  to  Hampton  Court,  saw  the  royal 
apartments,  and  walked  in  the  gardens,  where  a  great 
concourse  of  people  had  assembled  to  see  them.  After 
these  more  distinguishing  attentions  they  were  shown 
the  Tower,  the  public  buildings,  Greenwich  Hospital, 
and  all  the  great  and  interesting  spectacles  in  London." 
Nothing  was  neglected  which  might  serve  to  awaken 
and  gratify  their  curiosity,  or  inspire  them  with  a  true 
conception  of  the  power  and  grandeur  of  the  British 
nation. 

Tomo-chi-chi  was  much  impressed  with  the  strength, 
riches  and  greatness  of  the  English  empire.  The 
solidity  of  the  London  houses  particularly  attracted  his 
attention.  In  the  simplicity  of  his  heart  he  expressed 
his  surprise  that  short-lived  men  should  erect  such 
long-lived  habitations.  Nothing  appeared  to  escape 
his  observation.  At  times  he  seemed  oppressed  by 
the  contrast,  everywhere  presented,  between  the  ignor- 
ance, helplessness  and  poverty  of  his  own  people,  and 
the  intelligence,  power  and  wealth  of  London  and  its 
,  environs;  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  freely  con- 
fessed, that,  without  the  aid  and  friendship  of  the  Eng- 
lish, the  Indian  tribes  would,  in  his  opinion,  be  doomed 
to  early  annihilation.  His  sympathies  were  most  ear- 
nest in  their  behalf,  and  his  constant  wish  was  that 
competent  teachers  should  be  sent  over  to  counsel, 
educate  and  Christianize  the  youth  of  his  nation.  Every 
one  who  came  in  contact  with  him  was  impressed  with 


OF  TOMO-CH1-CH1.  69 

the  accuracy  of  his  observations,  the  pertinency  of  his 
inquiries,  the  maturity  of  his  judgment,  the  wisdom 
and  liberality  of  his  views  and  the  integrity  of  his 
professions.  Recognizing  the  importance  of  confirming 
the  friendship  which  he  had  formed  for  the  infant 
colony ;  aware  of  the  influence  he  was  capable  of 
exerting  for  good  or  for  evil,  not  only  among  the  mem- 
bers of  his  immediate  tribe,  but  also  within  the  limits 
of  the  Creek  confederacy,  and  appreciating  how  largely 
they  were  already  indebted  for  his  good  offices  and 
kindly  intervention  in  behalf  of  the  early  settlers,  the 
trustees  were  peculiarly  anxious  that  this  visit  of  the 
aged  mico  should  prove  in  all  respects  satisfactory  and 
productive  of  future  good.  No  pains  therefore  were 
spared,  either  on  their  part,  or  on  the  part  of  all  who 
were  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  province,  in 
ministering  to  his  constant  entertainment,  and  the  en- 
joyment of  his  companions. 

Nearly  four  months  had  elapsed  since  the  arrival  of 
the  Aldborough,  and  Tomo-chi-chi  felt  it  was  time 
that  he  should  return  to  his  little  village  on  the  banks 
of  the  Savannah,  and  tell  his  friends  the  incidents  and 
lessons  which  were  born  of  his  sojourn  in  the  home  of 
the  white  man.  In  an  interview  with  the  trustees  he 
remarked,  that,  although  in  his  own  country  all  travel- 
ers were  entertained  without  expense,  he  was  quite 
sensible  that  the  stay  of  the  Indians  in  England  was  a 
severe  charge  upon  the  trustees;  and,  as  cold  weather 
was  coming  on,  he  desired  to  return  home  at  an  early 
convenient  day.  1He  requested  that  the  weights, 
measures,  prices  and  qualities  of  all  goods  to  be  ex- 
changed by  the  colonists  for  deer-skins  and  other  pel- 
try, should  be  settled  in  accordance  with  established 


1 M'  Call's  History  of  Georgia,  i,  48. 


70  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

rules ;  that  no  person  should  be  allowed  to  trade  with 
the  Indians  without  special  licenses  from  the  trustees, 
so  that  if  at  any  time  his  people  were  defrauded  by  the 
traders  they  would  at  once  know  where  to  apply  for 
redress ;  —  and  further,  that  a  store-house  might  be 
established  in  every  principal  Indian  village,  where  the 
natives  could  be  supplied  at  first  cost  with  such  articles 
as  they  desired  to  purchase.  In  justification  of  this 
application  he  referred  to  the  exorbitant  prices  de- 
manded by  the  traders  for  their  goods,  and  the  frauds 
practised  by  them  in  weights  and  measures,  insisting 
that  to  such  impositions  were  to  be  chiefly  ascribed 
the  animosities  and  quarrels  which  had  sprung  up  in 
adjacent  settlements  between  the  English  and  the  In- 
dians. From  the  trustees  he  received  the  assurance  that 
this  subject  should  secure  the  careful  and  immediate 
attention  which  its  importance  demanded. 

Although  Tomo-chi-chi  desired  to  leave  the  shores 
of  England,  it  was  not  because  there  was  any  diminution 
in  the  attentions  shown  him,  or  that  the  visit  of  the 
Indians  began  to  be  regarded  with  indifference  by  a 
public  so  keenly  alive  to  its  novelty  and  importance 
when  the  strange  guests  were  first  installed  in  the 
Georgia  rooms.  By  the  nobility,  "curious  to  see  them 
and  observe  their  manners,"  princely  entertainments 
were  constantly  given.  Whenever  they  appeared  in 
public,  multitudes  followed,  shaking  hands  with  these 
"  rude  warriors  of  the  forest,"  making  them  many 
presents  and  treating  them  with  every  mark  of 
friendship  and  civility.  It  is  said  that  the  presents 
received  and  carried  home  by  the  Indians  amounted 
in  value  to  at  least  £400.  During  their  stay  in 
London,  the  portraits  of  Tomo-chi-chi  and  his  nephew 
Toonahowi  were  painted  and  hung  up  in  the  Georgia 
rooms. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHL  71 

In  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  October,  1734,  ap- 
pears the  following  notice  of  the  departure  of  Tomo- 
chi-chi  and  his  companions : 

Wednesday,  October  30,  1734. 

The  Indian  king,  queen  and  prince,  etc.,  set  out  from  the  Geor- 
gia office  in  the  king's  coaches  for  Gravesend,  to  embark  on  their 
return  home.  During  their  stay  in  England,  which  has  been 
about  four  months,  his  majesty  allowed  them  £20  a  week  for 
their  subsistence,  and  they  have  been  entertained  in  the  most 
agreeable  manner  possible.  Whatever  is  curious  and  worthy 
observation  in  and  about  the  cities  of  London  and  Westminster, 
has  been  carefully  shown  them ;  and  nothing  has  been  wanting 
among  all  degrees  of  men  to  contribute  to  their  diversion  and 
amusement,  and  to  give  them  a  just  idea  of  English  politeness 
and  our  respect  for  them.  In  return  they  expressed  themselves 
heartily  attached  to  the  British  nation.  They  had  about  the 
value  of  £400  in  presents.  Prince  William  presented  the  young 
mico  John  Towanohowi  with  a  gold  watch,  with  an  admonition 
to  call  upon  Jesus  Christ  every  morning  when  he  looked  on 
it :  which  he  promised.  They  appeared  particularly  delighted 
with  seeing  his  highness  perform  his  exercise  of  riding  the 
managed  horse,  —  the  Horse  Guards  pass  in  review,  and  the 
agreeable  appearance  of  barges,  etc.,  on  the  Thames  on  Lord 
Mayor's  day. 

In  the  same  ship  embark  several  relations  of  the  English 
already  in  Georgia,  who  were  allowed  the  preference  of  going ; 
also  Sir  Francis  Parkhurst,  his  son,  three  daughters,  and  ser- 
vants, together  with  fifty-six  Saltzburghers  newly  arrived  from 
Kotterdam.  These  people  were  at  the  German  church  in  Trinity 
Lane,  where  £47  were  collected  for  them. 

The  vessel  in  which  Torao-chi:chi  returned  was  the 
transport-ship,  "Prince  of  Wales" —  George  Dunbar, 
captain.  She  arrived  in  Savannah  on  the  27th  of  De- 
cember. 1734. 

In  communicating  to  the  trustees  the  fact  of  his 
remarkably  quick  and  prosperous  voyage  across  the 


72  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

Atlantic,  Captain  Dunbar  writes,  lu"We  arrived  here 
[Savannah]  all  cheerful  and  in  good  health.  The  In- 
dians behaved  with  their  accustomed  modesty,  as  did 
also  the  Saltzburgers,  who  are  a  sober  and  pious  peo- 
ple, and  gave  much  less  trouble  than  I  expected ;  nor 
do  I  think  any  of  them  were  dissatisfied  while  on 
board."  He  adds  in  conclusion,  "  Tomo-chi-chi,  Toona- 
howi,  Hillispilli  and  Umpechi  were  so  kind  as  to  come 
on  board  on  the  morning  of  our  intended  departure, 
to  see  me.  They  have  a  very  grateful  remembrance 
of  the  many  civilities  which  they  received  in  England, 
and  desire  me  to  inform  your  honors  that  Santechi  has 
gone  to  the  Upper  and  Middle  Creeks,  who  are  at 
present  extremely  well  disposed  to  the  British  interest, 
and  their  deputies  are  expected  down  in  two  months." 


J  London  Magazine  for  March,  1735. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHL  73 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Effect  of  the  mice's  visit  to  England  —  Welcomes  Gov.  Oglethorpe 
upon  his  return  —  Accompanies  him  to  St.  Simon's  Island  —  Makes 
a  formal  delivery  of  the  lands  ceded  by  the  Creeks  —  Serio-comic  ad- 
venture —  Services  rendered  by  Tomo-chi-chi  during  the  troubles 
between  the  Colonists  and  the  Spaniards. 


his  return  we  are  informed  that  Tomo- 
chi-chi  freely  imparted  to  his  tribe  and  nation 
the  impressions  he  had  formed,  during  his 
recent  visit,  of  the  power  of  the  British  em- 
pire; and  assured  them  of  the  marked  courtesies,  kind- 
ness and  hospitality  with  which  he  and  his  companions 
had  been  every  where  entertained  during  their  sojourn 
in  England.  He  exhorted  them  to  continue  in  friend- 
ship with  their  neighbors  the  colonists,  and  sacredly  to 
observe  the  obligations  of  the  existing  treaties.  Says 
M'Call,  "He  acknowledged  that  the  governor  of  the 
world,  or  Great  Spirit,  had  given  the  English  great  wis- 
dom, power  and  riches,  so  that  they  wanted  nothing. 
To  the  Indians  he  had  given  great  extent  of  territories, 
yet  they  wanted  everything.  Therefore  he  exerted  his 
influence  in  prevailing  on  the  Creeks  to  resign  to  the 
English  such  lands  as  were  of  no  use  to  themselves,  and" 
allow  them  to  settle  amongst  them,  that  they  might  be 
thus  supplied  with  useful  articles  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  and  with  the  necessaries  of  life.  He  told  them 
also  that  the  English  were  a  generous  nation,  and  would 
trade  with  them  on  the  most  honorable  and  advantage- 
ous terms  ;  that  they  were  brethren  and  friends,  and  that 
they  would  protect  them  against  danger,  and  go  with 
them  to  war  against  their  enemies."  l 


1  See  M'Call's  History  of  Georgia,  i,  46. 
10 


74  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  beautiful  and  novel  presents  which  Tomo-chi-chi 
and  his  companions  brought  home  with  them  went 
very  far  towards  a  positive  confirmation  of  his  praises 
of  the  liberality  of  the  English,  and  produced  a  pro- 
found impression  upon  the  natives ;  to  a  number  of 
whom  the  generous  mico  freely  presented,  from  his 
treasures,  articles  of  value  and  ornament. 

This  visit  of  Tomo-chi-chi  and  his  companions,  and 
the  interest  awakened  by  their  personal  presence  in 
London,  materially  assisted  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and  the 
trustees  in  enlisting  the  renewed  and  earnest  sympa- 
thies of  the  public,  and  in  securing  substantial  aid  not 
only  for  the  colonists,  but  also  for  the  education  of  the 
natives  and  their  instruction  in  religious  knowledge. 
Application  was  made  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wilson,  bishop 
of  Sodor  and  Man,  to  prepare  a  manual  for  their  more 
facile  indoctrination  in  the  principles  of  Christianity. 
With  this  request  he  readily  complied,  and  the  results 
of  his  labors  in  this  behalf  are  embodied  in  The  Know- 
ledge and  Practice  of  Christianity  made  easy  to  the  Meanest 
Capacity,  or  an  Essay  towards  an  Instruction  for  the  Indians, 
a  work  which  was  printed  at  the  expense  of  the  "  Society 
for  propagating  the  Gospel  in  foreign  parts,"  and  passed 
through  several  editions.  It  does  not  appear,  however, 
.that  it  was  ever  very  extensively  used  among  the  In- 
dians, or  that  any  marked  progress  was  achieved  in  the 
contemplated  labor  of  their  evangelization. 

A  letter  was  composed  by  a  Cherokee  chief  and  sent 
to  the  trustees.  It  was  drawn,  and  curiously  marked 
in  red  and  black  figures  on  the  neatly  dressed  skin  of 
a  young  buffalo.  A  translation  was  prepared  by  an 
Indian  interpreter,  when  it  was  first  delivered  at  Sa- 
vannah, in  the  presence  of  fifty  chiefs  and  many  pro- 
minent citizens,  for  the  purpose  of  transmission  to 
England.  This  unique  epistle  contained  the  grateful 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CKI.  75 

acknowledgments  of  the  Indians  for  the  honors  and 
civilities  which  had  been  extended  to  Tomo-chi-chi  and 
his  companions,  their  admiration  of  the  grandeur  of 
the  British  court  and  kingdom,  and  a  declaration  of 
their  strong  attachment  to  Gov.  Oglethorpe.  Upon  its 
receipt  by  the  trustees  this  hieroglyphic  painting  was 
set  in  a  frame  and  suspended  in  the  Georgia  office  in 
Westminster.1 

It  is  apparent  from  this  circumstance  how  widely 
disseminated  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Georgia  was 
the  knowledge  of  the  visit  of  the  mico  of  the  Yama- 
craws,  how  faithful  the  report  of  his  reception  and 
hospitable  treatment  by  the  English,  and  how  grateful 
were  the  feelings  of  the  red-men  for  the  special  kind- 
ness and  consideration  shown  to  one  of  their  race. 
The  beneficial  results  flowing  from,  and  the  sentiments 
of  kindness  and  gratitude  engendered  by  this  visit 
tended  most  emphatically  to  perpetuate  the  amicable  re- 
lations subsisting  between  the  colonists  and  the  natives. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  returned  to  Georgia  on  the  5th  of 
February,  1736,  with  valuable  accessions  for  the  colony. 
By  no  one  was  his  coming  more  ardently  greeted  than 
by  his  firm  friend  the  aged  mico  of  the  Yamacraws, 
who,  with  his  nephew  Toonahowi,  had  been  for  two 
months  on  the  lookout  for  the  arrival  of  the  governor. . 
During  all  this  time  he  had  retained  two  Indian  run- 
ners in  order  that  the  intelligence  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe's 
arrival  might  be  communicated  at  the  earliest  moment 
to  the  Lower  and  Upper  Creeks.  It  was  with  evident 
satisfaction  that  the  governor  contemplated  the  increas- 
ing comfort  and  development  of  the  colony.  On  every 
hand  assurances  were  given  of  the  friendly  aid  which 
had  on  every  occasion  been  rendered  by  Tomo-chi-chi 


American  Gazetteer,  London,  1762,  n,  article  Georgia. 


76  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

in  furthering  the  interests  of  the  settlers,  in  facilitating 
the  convenient  location  of  fresh  arrivals,  and  in  furnish- 
ing from  time  to  time  such  assistance  as  his  scanty 
means  would  allow. 

The  Rev.  John  Wesley  and  his  brother  Charles  ac- 
companied Mr.  Oglethorpe  on  this  return  voyage. 
Their  special  mission  was  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
Indian  nations  adjacent  to  the  colony.  A  passable  road 
to  connect  Savannah  with  Darien  was  deemed  a  work 
of  pressing  necessity,  and  Capt.  Hugh  Mackay,  Jr., 
with  a  company  of  rangers,  was  sent  forward  to  make 
observations  on  the  intervening  country,  compute  the 
distance,  and  select  the  most  practicable  route.  Guides 
for  the  party  were  furnished  by  Tomo-chi-chi. 

On  the  12th,  Gov.  Oglethorpe  returned  to  the  ships 
which  were  still  riding  at  anchor  at  Tybee.  While  on 
board  the  "Symond"  he  received  a  formal  visit  from 
Tomo-chi-chi,  Sceuauky  his  wife,  and  Toonahowi,  with 
a  number  of  attendants.  They  brought  presents  of 
venison  and  other  refreshments.  After  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  missionaries,  Tomo-chi-chi  remarked  to  Mr. 
John  Wesley,  "  I  am  glad  you  are  come.  When  I 
was  in  England  I  desired  that  some  would  speak  the 
great  word  to  me.  I  will  go  up  and  speak  to  the  wise 
men  of  our  nation,  and  I  hope  they  will  hear.  But  we 
would  not  be  made  Christians  as  the  Spaniards  make 
Christians ;  we  would  be  taught  before  we  are  baptized." 
Scenauky  then  presented  the  missionaries  with  two 
large  jars,  one  containing  honey,  and  the  other  milk, 
and  invited  them  to  come  to  Yamacraw  and  teach  the 
Indian  children,  saying  that  the  milk  and  honey  repre- 
sented their  kindly  inclinations. 

On  this  occasion  Tomo-chi-chi  informed  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe that  he  had  dispatched  the  two  runners  to  com- 
municate the  fact  of  his  arrival  to  the  Creeks,  and  that 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  77 

he  then  had  a  party  of  his  warriors  at  Darien  assisting 
the  Highlanders  in  the  construct  ion  of  their  town.  He 
likewise  told  him  of  a  complaint  made  by  the  lichees, 
that,  contrary  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty,  cattle  had  heen 
brought  into  their  country;  and,  in  opposition  to  their 
wishes,  planters  from  Carolina  had  come,  with  their 
negroes,  and  formed  settlements  within  their  territorial 
limits.  Orders  were  thereupon  issued  by  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  directing  Capt.  Mclntosh  to  notify  these  tres- 
passers to  withdraw  their  cattle  and  negroes  within 
three  days,  and  that  if  within  the  designated  period 
they  were  not  sent  away,  those  who  neglected  or  re- 
fused to  obey  these  orders  should  be  arrested  and 
brought  to  Savannah  and  there  handed  over  to  the 
magistrates,  by  whom  proceedings  would  be  immediately 
instituted  against  them.1  At  the  same  time  he  issued 
a  proclamation  announcing  the  provisions  of  the  act 
for  maintaining  peace  with  the  Indians.  This  prompt 
action  on  the  part  of  the  governor  illustrates  alike 
his  decision  of  character,  the  sedulity  with  which  he 
guarded  the  rights  of  the  Indians  and  sought  to  main- 
tain the  good  faith  which  should  be  observed  between 
the  colonists  and  them,  and  the  implicit  confidence 
which  he  reposed  in  the  veracity  of  his  aged  friend. 

After  the  return  of  Tomo-chi-chi  from  England  the 
Creeks  had,  by  solemn  compact,  confirmed  the  grant 
of  lauds  previously  made  to  the  colonists;  and  the  old 
mico  was  anxious  to  point  out  to  Grov.  Oglethorpe,  at 
the  earliest  practicable  moment,  the  precise  limits  of 
the  territory  included  in  that  cession.  This  was  one 
reason  why  he  had  been  so  solicitous  about  the  return 
of  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  in  order  that  there  might  be  posi- 
tive delivery  of  the  lauds  granted. 


See  Wright's  Memoir  of  Ogletlwrpe,  115. 


78  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

So  soon  as  he  had  hastily  inspected  the  condition 
of  the  colony  at  Savannah  and  its  vicinity,  the  go- 
vernor proceeded  to  Darien  to  encourage  the  hearts 
of  the  Highlanders.  The  newly  arrived  emigrants, 
which  he  had  brought  over  with  him  in  the  "  Symond  " 
and  the  "  London  Merchant,"  he  determined  to  locate 
upon  the  beautiful  island  of  St.  Simon's.  Frederica 
was  chosen  as  the  headquarters  of  the  settlement. 
The  colonists  were  delighted  with  the  scene.  The 
magnificent  forests  of  cedar,  bay,  laurel  and  live- 
oak,  the  luxuriant  vines  drooping  in  graceful  fes- 
toons even  to  the  water's  edge,  the  voices  of  song 
birds  filling  the  soft  air  with  sounds  sweeter  far 
than  they  had  ever  heard  in  Europe,  the  vernal 
atmosphere  redolent  of  jessamines,  orange  blossoms, 
and  the  thousand  delightful  flowers  which  lend  their 
commingled  fragrance  and  beauty  to  this  charming 
spot,  the  presence  of  game  and  fish  in  great  vari- 
ety, and  the  generous  appearance  of  the  soil,  all 
inspired  the  emigrants  with  a  sense  of  satisfaction, 
happiness  and  hope. 

Frederica  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  island, 
on  a  bold  bluif  washed  by  a  bay  formed  by  one  of  the 
mouths  of  the  Alatamaha  river  before  passing  to  the 
ocean  through  Jekyll  Sound.  The  town  was  laid  out 
in  streets  which  were  subsequently  named  after  the 
officers  of  Oglethorpe's  regiment.  l  It  was  altogether 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference,  including  the 
camp  on  the  north  side,  the  parade  on  the  east,  and  a 
small  wood  on  the  south  which  served  as  a  blind  to 
the  enemy  in  case  of  attack  from  ships  coming  up  the 
river.  There  were  two  gates  called  the  town  and  the 
water  posts.  The  fort  was  strongly  built  of  tabby ;  and 


1  See  Wriglit's  Memoir  of  Ogletfiorpe,  264. 


OF  TOMO-GH1-CH1.  79 

several  eighteen-pounders,  mounted  on  a  raveline  in 
front,  commanded  the  river.  The  entire  town  was 
protected  on  the  land  side  by  a  deep  entrenchment 
which  admitted  the  tide. 

In  speaking  of  Frederica,  Mr.  l  Spalding  wisely  in- 
stitutes the  following  contrast  between  it  and  Savannah. 
At  the  latter  place  everything  gives  evidence  of  an  en- 
lightened mind  and  taste.  At  Frederica,  however, 
which  formed  the  southern  outposts  of  the  colony,  there 
were  no  extended  squares  or  broad  streets.  There 
were  simply  an  esplanade  and  a  parade  ground.  South 
of  the  fort  the  streets  were  about  forty  feet  wide.  There 
were  no  trees  in  them.  Trees  would  have  been  in  the 
way  of  military  movements.  The  houses  were  all  built 
of  either  brick  or  tabby. 

St.  Simon's  island  became  the  Thermopylae  of  the 
southern  Anglo-American  provinces ;  and  there  is  no 
brighter  chapter  in  the  military  history  of  the  colony, 
no  more  illustrious  period  in  the  eventful  life  of  Gen. 
Oglethorpe,  than  that  which  commemorates  the  pro- 
tracted and  successful  struggle  with  the  Spaniards  for 
the  retention  of  this  charming  island. 

About  the  middle  of  March,  Tomo-chi-chi,  Toona- 
howi,  and  a  party  of  forty  warriors  waited  upon  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  at  Frederica.  to  designate  the  precise  bound- 
aries dividing  the  lands  ceded  by  the  Creeks  to  the 
colony  from  those  claimed  by  the  Spaniards,  and  to 
give  the  governor  formal  possession  of  them.  To 
accommodate  the  party  for  this  expedition  two  ten- 
oared  boats  were  placed  in  readiness,  and  Maj.  Hor- 
ton  and  Mr.  Tanner  and  several  prominent  gentlemen 
requested  by  Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  accompany  him  as  an 
escort. 


1  See  Georgia  Historical  Collections,  i,  272. 


80  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

The  Highlanders,  under  command  of  Capt.  Hugh 
Mackay,  were  detailed  as  a  military  guard,  and  were 
transported  in  the  periagua.1 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Charles  Dempsey, — 
who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  British  govern- 
ment to  confer  with  the  governor  of  Florida  in  refer- 
ence to  a  settlement  of  the  proper  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  province  of  Georgia  and  the  lands  claimed 
by  the  Spanish, — accompanied  Mr.  Oglethorpe  on  the 
occasion  of  his  recent  return.  Anxious  to  compass  his 
mission  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment,  he  sailed 
from  Savannah  on  the  19th  of  February,  in  company 
with  Maj.  Richards  of  Purysburgh,  bearing  a  concilia- 
tory letter  from  Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  the  governor  of 
Florida.  A  long  period  had  now  elapsed,  and  no  ad- 
vices had  been  received  from  Mr.  Dempsey.  Wishing 
to  ascertain  the  cause  of  this  silence,  and  being  solicit- 
ous for  his  safety,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  gladly  hastened  the 
inception  of  the  expedition;  knowing  that  its  course 
would  lead  to  the  Florida  coast  where  he  hoped  at  an 
early  day  to  learn  definitely  of  the  movements  and  suc- 
cess of  the  commissioner.  Another  reason  which  in- 
duced Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  go  just  at  this  time  when  his 
services  on  St.  Simon's  island  were  greatly  needed,  was 
the  fear  that  the  Indians,  if  unrestrained  by  his  per- 
sonal presence,  might  in  their  animosity  feel  themselves 
strong  enough  to  attack  some  of  the  feeble  advanced 
posts  of  the  Spaniards,  and  by  this  means,  in  the  un- 
settled state  of  feeling,  precipitate  general  hostilities 
between  the  Spaniards  and  the  colonists. 


'The  periagua  was  a  long  flat-bottomed  boat  capable  of  carrying 
from  twenty  to  thirty-five  tons.  It  was  constructed  with  a  forecastle 
and  cabin,  the  rest  being  open.  It  had  no  deck.  There  were  two 
masts  which  the  sailors  could  strike.  The  sails  were  like  those  of  a 
schooner,  and  it  was  generally  rowed  with  only  two  long  oars. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  81 

The  following  narrative  of  the  expedition,  as  well  as 
the  account  of  the  serio-comic  adventure  of  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  are  borrowed  in  the  main  from  Mr.  Francis 
Moore's  Voyage  to  Georgia : 

On  the  18th  of  April,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  set  out  with  the  two 
scout  boats,  with  Tomo-chi-chi  and  a  body  of  Indians, —  about 
forty  in  number, —  all  chosen  warriors  and  good  hunters. 
Rowing  across  Jekyl  sound,  he  went  up  another  branch  of 
the  Alatainaha  to  see  what  passages  might  lie  that  way  for 
boats,  and  encamped  in  a  grove  of  pine  trees  upon  the  main 
where  were  many  trees  fit  for  masts  for  the  largest  ships.  Three 
fires  were  built,  one  for  the  Indians,  one  for  the  boatmen,  and 
a  third  for  the  gentlemen.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  lay,  as  he  usually 
does,  in  the  woods  under  a  tree,  wrapt  up  in  a  cloak,  near  a 
good  fire.  Mr.  Horton,  Mr.  Tanner  and  the  rest  of  the  gentle- 
men lay  round  the  fire  in  the  same  manner. 

The  next  day,  soon  after  daybreak,  they  discovered  the  per- 
iagua  which  made  a  fine  appearance,  being  full  of  men.  Capt. 
Hugh  Mackay  who  commanded,  had  been  indefatigable  in  mak- 
ing this  dispatch.  There  were  on  board  thirty  Highlanders 
and  ten  other  men, —  a  portion  of  the  independent  company,  lately 
reduced,  come  over  land  to  Darien  under  command  of  Ensign 
Hugh  Mackay.  They  had  with  them  tools  for  entrenching,  and 
provisions.  That  afternoon  they  saw  an  island  which  the  In- 
dians formerly  called  Wissoo,  in  English,  Sassafras.  This  is 
over  against  Jekyl  island  on  the  south.  The  northern  end  of 
it  rises  fifty  feet  or  upwards  above  the  water,  like  a  terrace,  a 
mile  in  length,  and  covered  with  tall  pine  trees.  The  western 
extremity  of  the  hill  commands  the  passage  for  boats  from  the 
southward,  as  the  northern  end  of  the  island  does  the  entry 
for  ships.  Here  they  met  with  some  bark-huts  which  our 
friendly  Indians  had  sometime  since  built  for  their  lodging 
when  they  hunted  there.  They  saw  a  great  many  deer,  and 
a  wide  savannah  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  extending  two  or 
three  miles,  so  that  from  the  western  point  they  could  discover 
any  boat  that  came  from  the  southward. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe,  upon  the  extreme  western  point  of  the  hill, — 
the  foot  of  which  is  washed  on  the  one  side  by  the  bay,  and  by 
11 


82  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

the  channel  that  goes  to  the  southward  on  the  other, —  marked 
out  a  fort  to  be  called  St.  Andrews,  and  gave  Capt.  Hugh  Mac- 
kay  orders  to  build  it,  leaving  with  him  the  periagua  and  all 
who  came  in  it,  and  also  some  Indians  to  hunt  and  shoot.  The 
next  morning  Mr.  Oglethorpe  proceeded  with  the  two  scout- 
boats,  and  Tomo-chi-chi  and  his  Indians,  who  new-named  this 
island  Cumberland,  in  memory  of  his  royal  highness  the  duke, 
who  had  been  very  gracious  to  them,1  particularly  to  Toona- 
howi,  nephew  to  Tomo-chi-chi,  to  whom  his  royal  highness  had 
given  a  gold  repeating  watch,  which  Toonahowi  holding  in  his 
hand  said,  the  duke  gave  us  this  watch  that  we  might  know  how 
the  time  went,  and  we  will  remember  him  at  all  times,  and 
therefore  will  give  this  island  his  name. 

They  encamped  that  night  on  the  south  end  of  Cumberland, 
and  the  next  morning  discovered  another  island  beyond  it,  be- 
tween which  and  the  main  they  rowed  through  very  narrow 
and  shoaly  passages,  amongst  the  marshes.  To  this  island 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  gave  the  name  of  Amelia,  it  being  a  beautiful 
island,  and  the  sea-shore  covered  with  myrtle,  peach  trees, 
orange  trees,  and  vines  in  the  wildwoods.  They  rowed  across 
a  fresh  water  river,  and  that  night  Tomo- 

chi-chi  chose  to  encamp  upon  a  ground  where  there  were  but  a 
few  straggling  pine-trees,  and  the  land  being  clear  for  half  a 
mile  round,  and  thick  of  shrubs  and  palmettoes.  His  reason 
was,  that  if  any  Florida  Indians  were  out  there,  they  would  be 
discovered,  if  they  approached  in  the  night,  by  the  noise  of  the 
palmetto  leaves.  Addressing  Gen.  Oglethorpe  he  said,  you 
being  Englishmen  who  are  used  to  fight  in  open  ground,  I 
choose  this  spot  as  being  most  to  your  advantage. 

The  next  morning  Tomo-chi-chi  conducted  the  expedition 
through  several  channels  until  they  arrived  at  two  rocks  covered 
with  cedar  and  bay  trees.  Disembarking,  and  climbing  to  the 
top  of  those  rocks,  he  there  pointed  out  a  wide  river, —  the  St. 
John's, —  and  a  house  or  hut  on  the  other  side,  adding,  That 
is  the  Spanish  guard.  All  on  this  side  that  river  we  hunt.  It 
is  our  ground.  On  the  other  side,  they  hunt,  but  as  they  have 
lately  hurt  some  of  our  people,  we  will  now  drive  them  away. 


1  During  their  visit  to  England. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  83 

We  will  stay  behind  these  rocks,  where  they  cannot  see  us,  till 
night,  and  then  we  will  fall  upon  them. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  with  great  difficulty  prevailed  upon  the  In- 
dians not  to  attack  the  Spaniards,  but  to  return  to  the  palmetto 
ground  where  he  promised  to  meet  them.  Some  of  the  Indians 
were  related  to  those  who  had  been  killed  the  winter  before  by 
the  detachment  from  St.  Augustine;  and  one  of  them,  Poy- 
eechy  by  name,  had  been  wounded  by  the  Spaniards. 

Not  caring  to  trust  the  Indians  by  themselves,  lest  they 
should  turn  back  and  do  mischief  to  the  Spaniards,  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe ordered  Mr.  Horton,  with  one  of  the  ten-oared  scout 
boats,  to  attend  upon  them.  With  the  other  boat  he  went  into 
j3t.  John's  river  intending  to  inquire  of  the  Spanish  guards 
what  had  become  of  the  boat  and  men  he  had  sent  to  St.  Augus- 
tine. The  hut  which  they  had  seen  from  the  rocks  was  the 
upper  Spanish  look-out.  Seeing  no  people  there,  they  con- 
cluded that  it  had  been  deserted,  and  therefore  stood  down  to 
the  lower  look-out.  The  boatmen  fancied  they  saw  a  battery  of 
cannon,  for  there  appeared  some  black  things  which  they 
thought  looked  like  guns  at  a  great  distance,  but  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
desired  to  see  them  nearer.  As  they  stood  in  they  proved  to 
be  cows  lying  down  among  the  sand-hills.  There  were  no  peo- 
ple at  the  look-out,  so  they  went  down  to  the  sea,  and  rounding 
the  point  St.  George,  passing  between  that  and  Talbot  island, 
came  to  the  rendezvous  at  the  palmetto  ground.  There  they 
met  Mr.  Horton  in  the  scout-boat,  and  some  boats  of  Indians, 
but  Tomo-chi-chi  with  two  boats  was  gone. 

About  four  hours  in  the  night  their  sentry  challenged  a  boat; 
and  Uuipeachy,  one  of  those  who  had  been  in  England,  answered, 
and  at  the  same  time  leaped  on  shore  with  four  others,  and  ran 
up  to  the  fires  where  Mr.  Oglethorpe  then  was.  They  seemed 
in  such  a  rage  as  is  hardly  to  be  described.  Their  eyes  glowed, 
as  it  were,  with  fire.  Some  of  them  foamed  at  the  mouth,  and 
moved  with  such  bounds  that  they  seemed  rather  possessed. 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  asked  Umpeachy  what  the  matter  was?  He 
replied  u  Tomo-chi-chi  has  seen  enemies,  and  has  sent  us  to  tell 
it  and  to  help  you."  Being  questioned  why  the  mico  did  not 
come  back  himself,  he  responded :  "  He  is  an  old  warrior  and 
will  not  come  away  from  his  enemies  who  hunt  upon  our  lands, 


84  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

till  lie  has  seen  them  so  near  as  to  count  them.  He  saw  their 
fire  and  therefore  sent  to  take  care  of  you  who  are  his  friends. 
He  will  make  a  warrior  of  Toonahowi,  and  before  day-light  will 
be  revenged  for  his  men  whom  they  killed  whilst  he  was  gone 
to  England.  But  we  shall  have  no  honor,  for  we  shall  not  be 
there."  The  rest  of  the  Indians  seemed  to  catch  the  raging  fits 
at  not  being  present.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  asked  if  he  thought 
there  were  many  ;  he  said  "  Yes,"  he  thought  the  enemies  were 
a  great  many,  for  they  had  a  great  fire  upon  a  high  ground,  and 
the  Indians  never  make  large  fires  but  when  they  are  so  strong 
as  to  despise  all  resistance.  Mr.  Oglethorpe  immediately  or- 
dered all  his  people  on  board,  and  they  rowed  very  briskly  to 
where  Tomo-chi-chi  was,  being  about  four  miles  distance. 

They  found  him  and  his  Indians  with  hardly  any  fire, — only 
a  few  sparks, —  behind  a  bush  to  prevent  discovery.  They  told 
him  they  had  been  to  see  the  fire  and  had  discovered  seven  or 
eight  white  men ;  but  the  Indians,  they  believed,  had  encamped 
further  in  the  woods,  for  they  had  not  seen  them ;  but  Touio- 
chi-chi  was  going  out  again  to  look  for  the  Indians,  whom,  as 
soon  as  he  discovered,  he  intended  to  give  the  signal  to  attack 
both  parties  at  once;  one-half  of  his  men  creeping  near  and 
taking  each  their  aim  at  those  whom  they  saw  most  awake,  and, 
as  soon  as  they  had  fired,  to  run  in  with  their  hatchets,  and  at 
the  same  time  those  who  had  not  fired  should  run  in  with  their 
loaded  arms;  and  if  they  knew  once  where  the  Indians  were, 
they  could  be  sure  of  killing  all  the  white  men,  since,  they  be- 
ing round  the  fire,  were  easily  seen,  and  the  same  fire  hindered 
them  from  seeing  others. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  strove  to  dissuade  them  from  that  attempt, 
but  with  great  difficulty  could  obtain  of  them  to  delay  a  little 
time ;  they  thinking  it  argued  cowardice.  At  last  they  got 
up  and  resolved  to  go  in  spite  of  all  his  endeavors ;  on  which 
he  told  them :  "  You  certainly  go  to  kill  them  in  the  night, 
because  you  are  afraid  of  seeing  them  by  day ;  now  I  do  not 
fear  them.  Stay  till  day,  and  I  will  go  with  you,  and  see  who 
they  are." 

Tomo-chi-chi  sighed  and  sat  down,  and  said  :  "  We  don't  fear 
them  by  day ;  but  if  we  don't  kill  them  by  night,  they  will  kill 
you  to-morrow."  So  they  stayed. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1.  85 

By  day-break  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and  the  mico  went  down  with 
their  men  and  came  up  to  the  fire  which  they  thought  had  been 
made  by  enemies,  which  was  less  than  a  mile  from  where  the 
mico  had  passed  the  night.  They  saw  a  boat  there,  with  a 
white  flag  flying,  and  the  men  proved  to  be  Maj.  Ilichard  re- 
turned from  Augustine. 

The  Indians  then  seemed  ashamed  of  their  rage  which  in- 
spired them  to  kill  men  before  they  knew  who  they  were. 

The  same  day  they  returned  towards  St.  Andrews,  and  not 
having  water  enough  through  the  narrows  of  Amelia,  the  scout- 
boats  were  obliged  to  halt  there ;  but  the  Indians  advanced  to 
the  south  end  of  Cumberland,  where  they  hunted,  and  carried 
venison  to  St.  Andrews. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  arriving  there,  was  surprised  to  find  the  fort 
in  a  forwardness ; —  the  ditch  being  dug,  and  the  parapet  raised 
with  wood  and  earth  on  the  land  side ;  and  the  small  wood  was 
cleared  fifty  yards  round  the  fort.  This  seemed  to  be  the  more 
extraordinary  because  Mr.  Mackay  had  no  engineer,  nor  any 
other  assistance  in  that  way  but  the  directions  left  by  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe :  besides,  it  was  very  difficult  to  raise  works  here,  the 
ground  being  a  loose  sand ;  therefore  they  used  the  same  me- 
thod to  support  it  as  Caesar  mentions  in  the  wars  of  Gaul, 
laying  trees  and  earth  alternately;  trees  prevented  the  sand 
from  falling,  and  the  sand  the  wood  from  fire.  He  returned 
thanks  to  the  Highlanders,  and  oflered  to  take  any  of  them 
back,  but  they  said  that  whilst  there  was  danger,  they  desired 
leave  to  stay.  But  he  ordered  two  along  with  him,  they  having 
families  at  Darien,  to  whom  he  thought  it  would  be  agreeable 
for  them  to  return.  From  thence  he  returned  to  Frederica 
with  the  white  men  and  the  scout-boats. 

Next  day  being  the  26th,  the  Indians  arrived,  and  camped 
by  themselves  near  the  town,  and  made  a  war-dance  to  which 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  went,  and  all  his  people.  They  made  a  ring, 
in  the  middle  of  which  four  sat  down,  having  little  drums  made 
of  kettles,  covered  with  deer  skins,  upon  which  they  beat  and 
sung.  Hound  them  the  others  danced,  being  naked  to  their 
waists,  and  round  their  middles  many  trinkets  tied  with  skins, 
and  some  with  the  tails  of  beasts  hanging  down  behind  them. 
They  painted  their  faces  and  bodies,  and  their  hair  was  stuck 


86  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

with  feathers.  In  one  hand  they  had  a  rattle,  in  the  other 
hand  the  feathers  of  an  eagle,  made  up  like  the  caduceus  of 
Mercury.  They  shook  these  wings  and  the  rattle,  and  danced 
round  the  ring  with  high  bounds  and  antic  postures,  looking 
much  like  the  figures  of  the  satyrs. 

They  shewed  great  activity,  and  kept  just  time  in  their  mo- 
tions ;  and  at  certain  times  answered  by  way  of  chorus  to  those 
that  sat  in  the  middle  of  the  ring.  They  stopped,  and  then 
stood  out  one  of  the  chief-warriors  who  sung  what  wars  he  had 
been  in,  and  described  [by  actions  as  well  as  by  words]  which 
way  he  had  vanquished  the  enemies  of  his  country.  When  he 
had  done,  all  the  rest  gave  a  shout  of  approbation,  as  knowing 
what  he  said  to  be  true.  The  next  day  Mr.  Oglethorpe  gave 
presents  to  Tomo-chi-chi  and  his  Indians,  and  dismissed  them 
with  thanks  for  their  fidelity  to  the  king.1 

2  Harris  adds,  that  at  the  conclusion  of  these  festivi- 
ties the  Indian  mico  explained  in  a  long  speech  the 
object  of  the  embassy.     After  this,  an  alliance  was  con- 
cluded and  presents  were  exchanged.     These  consisted 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  of  dressed  skins;  and  on 
that  of  Mr.  Oglethorpe  of  guns,  red  and  blue  cloth, 
powder,  bullets,  knives,  and  small  whetstones.     Among 
the  women  he  distributed  linen  and  woolen  garments, 
ear-rings,  chains,  beads,  etc. 

3  Maj.  Richards  gave   the  following  explanation  of 
Mr.  Dernpsey's  delay,  and  continued  absence.     Before 
reaching  St.  Augustine,  the  boat  in  which  they  were 
proceeding  was  capsized  and  the  entire  party  com- 
pelled to  scramble  through  the  breakers  to  the  shore, 
dragging  the  overturned  boat  with  them.     After  walk- 
ing several  leagues  through  the  sand,  they  were  met  by 


1  See  A  Voyage  to  Georgia  begun  in  the  year  1735,  etc.,  by  Francis 
Moore, —  reprinted  in  Georgia  Historical  Collections,  i,  122-7. 
a  Memorials  of  Oglethorpe,  148. 
s  See  Harris'  Memorials  of  Oglethorpe,  144. 


OF  TOMO-CHLCH1  87 

Don  Pedro  Lamberto,  a  captain  of  horse,  who  conducted 
them  to  the  Spanish  governor,  by  whom  they  were  re- 
ceived with  great  civility.  Mr.  Dempsey's  return  was 
postponed  in  consequence  of  repairs  which  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  put  upon  the  boat.  Maj.  Richards  brought 
letters  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe  from  Don  Francisco  del  Moral 
Sanchez,  captain  general  of  Florida,  and  governor  of  St. 
Augustine,  in  which, —  after  profuse  compliments  and 
expressions  of  his  thanks  for  the  letters  received  at  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Dempsey, —  he  complained  that  the  Creek 
Indians  had  fallen  upon  some  of  the  Spaniards  and 
defeated  them ;  and  that  he  was  in  daily  expectation  of 
further  hostilities  which  he  desired  Mr.  Oglethorpe  to 
prevent.  Maj.  Richards  added  that  the  Spanish  au- 
thorities at  Havana  had  been  fully  advised  of  what 
was  transpiring  on  the  coast,  and  that  he  had  promised 
the  governor  of  Florida  to  return  within  three  weeks 
with  the  reply  which  Mr.  Oglethorpe  might  desire  to 
make  to  his  communication. 

By  private  advices  Mr.  Oglethorpe  received  informa- 
tion that,  notwithstanding  these  professions  of  friend- 
ship and  assurances  of  an  earnest  desire  on  his  part  to 
perpetuate  the  amicable  relations  existing  between 
Georgia  and  Florida,  the  governor  of  St.  Augustine  had 
sent  to  Charleston  to  purchase  arms  which  he  intended 
placing  in  the  hands  of  the  Florida  Indians;  and  that 
by  their  assistance,  in  conjunction  with  the  Yamasees 
and  a  detachment  from  the  garrison  at  St.  Augustine, 
he  purposed  an  early  movement  upon  the  colonists  at 
Frederica,  with  a  view  to  their  utter  destruction,  or 
total  expulsion  by  force  of  arms  from  the  island  of  St. 
Simon.  He  was  also  advised  that  the  alleged  hostility 
on  the  part  of  the  Creeks  was  simply  a  pretext  for  this 
covert  movement,  and  designed  to  shift  in  advance  the 
burden  of  a  commencement  of  hostilities  from  the 


88  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

shoulders  of  the  Spaniards  upon  those  of  the  English ;  — 
that  the  garrison  at  St.  Augustine  consisted  of  live 
companies  of  infantry  of  sixty  men  each,  and  a  com- 
pany of  horse  numbering  about  forty  men,  and  that 
reenforcements  had  been  called  for  and  were  daily  ex- 
pected from  Havana.1  Regarding  this  information 
as  entirely  reliable,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  dispatched  a  peria- 
gua  with  twenty  oars,  and  four  swivel  guns, —  accom- 
panied by  a  scout-boat,  well  armed, —  to  the  mouth  of 
the  St.  John's  river,  with  orders  to  patrol  that  river 
and  prevent  any  Indians  from  crossing ;  hoping  thus  to 
preclude  the  possibility  of  an  attack  by  the  Indians  in 
this  quarter.  The  fort  located  upon  the  St.  George's 
island  passage  was  rapidly  pressed  to  completion  in 
order  that  its  guns  might  assist  the  periagua  in  hinder- 
ing the  ascent  of  any  hostile  boats  through  the  island 
channels.  Two  ships  were  posted  in  the  river  near 
Frederica  to  engage  the  Spanish  vessels,  should  an  en- 
trance from  the  sea  be  attempted  by  them.  The  for- 
tifications on  St.  Simon's  island  were  strengthened  by 
every  means  at  command,  and  additional  troops  sum- 
moned for  their  defense.  Through  the  aid  of  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  parties  of  Indians  were  sent  out  with  instructions 
to  intercept  the  Creek  hunters  and  dissuade  them  from 
attacking  the  Spanish  outposts  until  a  general  confer- 
ence could  be  held.  Other  warriors  were  stationed  in 
the  woods,  on  the  coast  opposite  Frederica,  with  orders 
to  prevent  any  Spanish  cavalry  from  advancing  across 
the  country  upon  the  settlement  of  the  Highlanders  at 
Darien,  and  at  all  times  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  cross  over  and  unite  in  the  defense  of  Frederica 
should  that  place  be  threatened. 


1  See  Francis  Moore's  Voyage. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-C1I1.  89 

Having  attended  in  person  to  these  dispositions, 
Tomo-chi-chi  returned  with  all  dispatch  to  Yamacraw 
to  secure  and  forward  reenforcements. 

On  the  2d  of  May  further  advices  were  received  from 
St.  Augustine  which  induced  Gov.  Oglethorpe  to  ex- 
pect an  early  demonstration  against  Frederica.  Every 
precaution  was  taken,  and  all  preparations  were  made, 
which  the  utmost  prudence,  forethought  and  military  in- 
genuity could  devise,  to  place  the  colonists  in  the  hest 
possible  state  of  defense.  The  more  closely  we  scruti- 
nize the  efforts  of  Gov.  Oglethorpe  at  this  important 
juncture,  the  more  remarkable  do  the  results  appear 
which  he  then  achieved  with  the  small  numbers  and 
scanty  resources  at  command.  His  energy  was  untir- 
ing and  his  watchfulness  unceasing.  N"o  exposure 
proved  too  hazardous,  no  personal  labor  too  onerous. 
During  this  period  of  doubt  and  peril  he  was  bravely 
seconded  in  all  his  plans  and  efforts  by  the  venerable 
Tomo-chi-chi,  who,  so  soon  as  he  could,  returned  with 
the  much  needed  reenforcements,  and,  during  the  re- 
maining days  and  weeks  of  suspense  and  anxiety, 
remained  ever  near  his  friend  the  governor ;  — accompa- 
nying him  upon  his  scouting  parties  by  land  and  by 
water,  assisting  in  the  construction  of  defensive  works 
and  in  the  disposition  of  troops,  by  means  of  his  guides 
giving  information  of  any  movements  of  the  enemy, 
and,  by  his  personal  presence  and  influence,  inciting  his 
warriors  to  the  cheerful  performance  of  continued  and 
valuable  services. 

Beyond  all  question  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Span- 
iards to  have  made  an  earnest  and  determined  attack 
upon  Frederica.  By  the  time,  however,  that  they  had 
consummated  their  arrangements,  such  reports  were 
conveyed  to  them  of  the  strength  of  the  position  occu- 
pied by  the  colonists,  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome, 
12 


90  HlBTOBttJAL  tiKETCII 

and  the  probable  loss  if  not  utter  discomfiture  which 
would  be  encountered,  that  the  purposed  expedition 
was  delayed.  When,  more  than  two  years  afterwards, 
it  was  renewed,  it  eventuated  in  defeat  and  demoraliza- 
tion to  the  Spanish  arms.  The  history  of  the  settle- 
ment of  St.  Simon's  island,  and  the  heroic  memories 
of  its  gallant  defense,  are  among  the  most  treasured 
recollections  of  the  colonial  period  of  Georgia,  and 
illustrate  at  once  the  ability  and  skill  of  Gov.  Ogle- 
thorpc,  the  patience,  endurance  and  bravery  of  the 
colonists,  and  the  fidelity  of  the  aged  mico  of  the  Ya- 
macraws  and  his  followers. 

The  circumstances  attendant  upon  the  temporary 
suspension  of  hostilities  between  the  colonists  and  the 
Spaniards,  are  thus  narrated  by  Mr.  Moore: 

On  the  12th  of  May,  Gov.  Oglethorpe,  accompanied  by  To- 
mo-chi-chi  and  his  Indians  in  their  canoes,  started  with  a  large 
periagua  and  two  ten-oared  boats  containing  fifty  men,  cannon 
and  two  months  provisions,  to  relieve  fort  St.  George  which  he 
feared  might  at  that  time  be  besieged.  On  his  way  he  met  a 
boat  in  which  was  Mr.  Horton,  who  had  been  released  and  was 
at  that  time  returning  home,  by  whom  he  was  informed  that 
two  Spanish  officers  were  coming  on  a  friendly  mission  to  St. 
Simon's.  Not  being  able  to  postpone  his  visit  to  St.  George, 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  sent  orders  to  Capt.  Gascoigne  to  entertain  the 
Spanish  officers  on  board  his  vessel  the  "  Hawk,"  and  to  keep 
them  on  board  until  his  return  so  that  they  might  not  be  able 
by  personal  inspection  to  gain  any  definite  knowledge  of  the 
strength  or  location  of  Frederica.  When  within  a  few  miles  of 
his  destination,  the  launch  hove  in  sight  having  on  board  the 
Spanish  commissioners,  Don  Pedro  de  Lamberto,  colonel  of 
horse,  and  Don  Manuel  D'Arcy,  secretary  to  the  governor,  and 
also  Mr.  Dempsey  and  Maj.  Richards.1  Wishing  to  avoid  the 
ceremony  which  must  ha,ve  ensued  if  he  had  made  himself 


1  Wright's  Memoir  of  Oglethorpe,  159. 


OF  TOMO-CH1-CHL  91 

known  to  them,  and  anxious  to  compass  his  visit  to  fort  St. 
George,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  desired  Mr.  Mackay  to  communicate 
with  the  launch  and  advise  the  commissioners  to  come  to  an 
anchor  until  a  safe-guard  could  be  furnished, —  because  the 
country  was  full  of  Indians.  They  accordingly  did  so.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  Tomo-chi-chi  and  his  Indians  could 
be  restrained  from  attacking  the  launch  and  killing  the  Spanish 
commissioners,  so  intense  was  the  desire  for  revenge  which  ani- 
mated their  breasts. 

Mr.  Oglethorpe  having  concluded  his  visit  to  fort  St.  George, 
set  out  on  his  return  to  Frederica  in  order  that  he  might  receive 
the  commissioners  with  becoming  state.  He  passed  unobserved 
very  near  Capt.  Gascoigne's  ship,  where  the  commissioners  were 
being  handsomely  entertained.  As  soon  as  he  reached  Frederica 
he  sent  Ensign  Mackay  up  to  Darien  to  bring  '"some  of  the 
genteelest  Highlanders  "  that  they  might  be  present  at  the  con- 
ference. He  "  ordered  two  handsome  tents  lined  with  Chinese, 
with  marquises  and  walls  of  canvas,  to  be  sent  down  and  pitched 
upon  Jekyl  island."  He  also  sent  a  present  of  some  refresh- 
ments, and  two  gentlemen  to  the  commissioners  to  acquaint 
them  with  the  fact  that  he  would  wait  upon  them  in  person  the 
next  day. 

2  On  the  18th  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  with  seven  horses  and  men 
upon  them,  (which  were  all  we  had)  went  down  to  the  sea-point 
that  the  Spaniards  might  see  that  there  were  men  and  horses 
there.  At  his  setting  out  a  number  of  cannons  were  fired,  which 
they  also  could  hear  at  Jekyl  island.  When  he  arrived  at  the 
point,  the  independent  company  was  under  arms,  being  drawn 
up  in  one  line  at  double  distances,  to  make  them  appear  a  larger 
number  to  the  Spaniards  who  lay  upon  Jekyl  island;  the  inde- 
pendent company  saluted  him  with  their  cannon,  managing  them 
so  as  to  seem  to  have  many  more  guns  by  reloading. 

Capt.  Gascoigne  came  over  in  his  boat  with  two  scout-boats, 
and,  having  taken  Mr.  Oglethorpe  on  board,  conveyed  him  to 
Jekyl  island,  where  he  landed  and  welcomed  the  Spanish  officers. 
An  invitation  for  dinner  the  next  day  on  board  the  "  Hawk  " 


1  Moore's  Voyage. 

2  Georgia  Historical  Society  Collections,  i,  150. 


92  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

was  extended  by  Capt.  Gascoigne,  and  accepted  by  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  and  the  commissioners, —  Mr.  Oglethorpe  saying  that  he 
would  on  that  occasion  formally  receive  any  communication  they 
desired  to  make. 

The  following  day,  the  19th,  Ensign  Mackay  arrived  on  board 
the  man-of-war,  with  the  Highlanders,  who,  with  their  broad- 
swords, targets,  plaids,  etc.,  were  drawn  up  on  one  side  of  the 
ship,  while  a  detachment  of  the  independent  company  in  regi- 
mentals lined  the  other  side.  The  sailors  manned  the  shrouds, 
and  kept  sentry  with  drawn  cutlasses  at  the  cabin  door.  The 
Spanish  commissaries  were  very  handsomely  entertained,  and 
after  dinner  delivered  their  messages  in  writing.  They  drank 
the  healths  of  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  royal  family; 
so  did  Mr.  Oglethorpe  those  of  the  king  and  queen  of  Spain. 
The  cannons  of  the  ship  fired,  and  were  answered  by  such  can- 
non as  were  within  hearing.  The  next  day  they  were  enter- 
tained in  like  manner,  and  had  long  conferences  with  Mr. 
Oglethorpe. 

On  the  21st  he  gave  them  their  answer.  They  made  him 
some  presents  of  snuff,  chocolate,  etc.,  and  he  returned  them 
very  handsome  ones.  All  the  time  they  were  there  we  sent 
down  sheep,  hogs  and  poultry,  with  garden  stuff  in  plenty  for 
all  their  men,  as  also  butter,  cheese,  wine,  beer  and  all  other 
refreshments. 

Tomo-chi-chi,  Hyllispilli  and  near  thirty  of  the  chiefest  In- 
dians, being  returned  from  the  southward,  came  on  board  painted 
and  dressed  as  they  are  for  war.  Hyllispilli  demanded  justice 
for  killing  the  Indians,  and  other  outrages.  The  Spanish  com- 
missary Don  Pedro,  knew  some  of  the  facts,  but  seemed  to  doubt 
the  rest.  Each  party  had  an  interpreter. 

The  Indians  proved  that  a  party  of  forty  Spaniards  and 
[ndians  had  fallen  upon  some  of  their  nation,  who  then  lay 
depending  upon  the  general  peace  between  the  Spaniards,  the 
Indians  and  the  English,  without  suspicion  and  consequently 
without  guard.  Thus  surprised,  several  were  killed  and  several 
taken  captive.  The  boys  who  were  captured  were  murdered  by 
having  their  brains  dashed  out,  and  the  wounded  were  slain. 
Don  Pedro,  struck  with  horror  at  this  cruelty,  inquired  how  they 
knew  these  facts  ?  A  young  Indian  was  produced  who  had  been 


OF  TOMO-CHLCH1.  93 

wounded  upon  the  occasion.  He  exhibited  the  scar,  and  told 
how,  in  the  confusion,  he  had  escaped  by  concealing  himself 
among  some  bushes.  He  further  stated  that  he  had  for  two 
days  followed  the  attacking  party,  hiding  himself  in  thickets, 
seeing  all  that  passed,  and  intending  to  revenge  himself  upon 
stragglers  should  there  chance  to  be  any.  It  was  also  proved 
that  an  Indian,  who  had  formed  one  of  the  party,  bragged  of 
what  had  been  done  to  one  of  the  Creeks  who  went  down  to 
St.  Marks  to  trade  with  the  Spaniards,  at  the  same  time  saying 
that  the  party  had  been  sent  out  from  St.  Augustine. 

Upon  this  Mr.  Oglethorpe  desired  Don  Pedro  to  represent 
these  facts  to  the  governor  of  St.  Augustine,  and  to  say  to  him 
that  he  should  expect  satisfaction  in  behalf  of  the  Indians  for 
this  insult,  they  being  subjects  of  the  king  of  Great  Britain. 
This  being  interpreted  to  the  Indians,  Hyllispilli  said  he  hoped 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  would  go  with  them  and  then  he  would  see 
what  they  would  do  to  the  Spaniards ;  but  that  if  he  would  not 
accompany  them,  they  would  go  by  themselves  and  take  revenge. 

"When  this  happened,"  said  he,  "  I  was  gone  with  you  to  Eng- 
land. Had  I  not  been  with  you  this  would  not  have  happened, 
for  had  I  been  with  my  men  they  should  not  have  been  so  sur- 
prised. You  will  go  with  me,  and  you  shall  see  how  I  will 
punish  them,  but  if  you  will  not  help  me  I  have  friends  enough 
who  will  go  with  me  to  revenge  the  murder."  At  this  all  the 
young  Indians  gave  a  shout.  Don  Pedro  said  that  there  was  a 
party  of  Indians  which  he  knew  went  from  the  neighborhood 
of  St.  Augustine,  but  that  they  were  not  Spaniards ;  that  he 
himself  at  that  time  was  at  Mexico  on  a  message  from  the  go- 
vernor ;  that  such  cruelty  must  be  abhorred  by  every  Christian, 
and  that  he  would  take  it  upon  him  to  say  that  the  people  who 
had  committed  this  outrage  should  be  punished.  Pohoia,  king 
of  the  Floridas,  was  named  as  the  party  who  commanded  the 
expedition.  Don  Pedro  gave  his  assurance  that  if  ever  he 
came  into  St.  Augustine  so  that  the  Spaniards  could  secure 
him,  the  governor  and  council  of  war  would  punish  him  as  his 
cruelty  deserved  ;  and  that  if  he  came  not  within  their  power, 
they  would  banish  him. 

To  this  Hyllispilli  said.  "We  hear  what  you  say.  When  we 
see  it  done,  we  will  believe  you."  Tomo-chi-chi  persuaded  them 


94  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

to  be  content,  and,  during  the  remainder  of  the  visit  of  the 
commissioners,  exerted  his  influence  in  restraining  the  violent 
passions  of  his  people  and  preventing  them  from  offering  direct 
insult  and  personal  violence  to  the  Spaniards. 

This  conference  resulted  in  a  temporary  restoration 
of  apparent  good  feeling,  and  brought  about  a  practical 
pacification  between  Florida  and  Georgia,  which  suffered 
no  violent  interruption  for  a  period  of  more  than  two 
years. 


OF  TOMO-CUI-VUI.  95 


CHAPTER  V. 

Tomo-chi-chi  and  the  Moravians  —  Rev.  John  Wesley  —  Interviews  be- 
tween the  mico  and  missionaries  —  Tomo-chi-chi's  religious  and  moral 
sentiments. 

|OET  St.  Andrews  on  Cumberland  island,  and 
the  advanced  work  of  St.  George,  near  the 
mouth  of  St.  John's  river,  having  been  suita- 
bly garrisoned  and  furnished  with  ordnance 
and  ordnance  stores  such  as  the  limited  supplies  at  com- 
mand could  afford ;  the  fortifications  at  Frederica  hav- 
ing been  materially  strengthened;  the  Highlanders  at 
Darien  having  been  confirmed  in  their  occupation  by 
every  precautionary  measure  which  could  conduce  to 
their  comfort  and  security;  signal  stations  having 
been  established  at  important  points,  and  methods  of 
communication  between  detached  posts  provided  for 
mutual  warning  and  assistance  in  the  event  of  any 
unlocked  for  hostile  demonstration ;  and,  being  in  his 
own  judgment  well  assured  that  all  immediate  danger 
of  an  attack  from  the  Spaniards  was  overpast,  Gov. 
Oglethorpe  returned  to  Savannah  to  provide  for  the 
wants  and  encourage  the  development  of  the  other 
portions  of  the  colony,  from  which  the  troubles  on  St. 
Simon's  island  had  necessitated  a  protracted  absence. 
Tomo-chi-chi  accompanied  him  ;  and,  after  the  fatigues 
which  he  had  lately  undergone,  and  which  it  was  quite 
remarkable  that  one  of  his  advanced  age  could  have 
endured  with  such  spirit  and  activity,  sought  rest  and 
quiet  beneath  his  humble  shelter  at  Yamacraw.  There 
he  remained  attending  to  the  wants  of  his  family  and 
tribe.  He  frequently  sent  presents  of  game,  and  such 


96  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

articles  as  his  scanty  stores  supplied,  to  his  friends 
at  Savannah,  and  to  the  Saltzburgers.  Upon  their 
arrival,  the  Moravians  had  sought  the  personal  ac- 
quaintance of  the  aged  raico  and  the  members  of  his 
tribe.  Between  them  a  marked  attachment  sprung  up 
which  was  never  interrupted.  Through  their  exer- 
tions,—  aided  "with  money  advanced  by  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe," —  a  school-house  had  been  built,  very  near 
Tomo-chi-chi's  village,  for  the  accommodation  and  in- 
struction of  the  Indian  children.  This  school  was 
called  Irene,  and  in  its  successful  conduct  the  mico 
manifested  a  constant  and  earnest  interest.  The  his- 
tory of  the  Moravians  in  Georgia  is  soon  told.  Fleeing 
from  the  oppressions  which  they  encountered  in  Bohe- 
mia, the  United  Brethren  determined  to  emigrate  to 
Georgia,  whither  the  Saltzburgers  had  preceded  them. 
Count  Ziuzendorf, —  their  spiritual  adviser, —  having 
enlisted  the  sympathies  of  the  trustees  in  their  behalf, 
procured  for  them  a  free  passage  from  England  to 
Savannah.  Arriving  in  the  spring  of  1735,  they 
selected  as  a  place  for  settlement  the  tract  of  land  lying 
between  the  town  of  Savannah  and  the  village  of 
Ebenezer,  at  which  latter  point  their  friends  the  Saltz- 
burgers had  established  themselves.  Such  was  their 
industry,  and  so  marked  their  frugality,  that  they  were 
in  condition  at  an  early  day  not  only  to  satisfy  all  their 
own  wants,  but  also  to  furnish  service  and  supplies  to 
their  less  provident  neighbors.  With  the  erection  of 
the  school-house  "  Irene,"  Tomo-chi-chi  was  greatly 
pleased,  and  frequently  expressed  his  sincere  gratifica- 
tion that  the  "  children  of  his  tribe  would  now  have  a 
place  where  they  could  hear  the  good  word."  The 
conversion  of  the  Indians  to  the  Christian  faith  enlisted 
the  serious  and  genuine  interest  of  the  Moravians.  In 
the  prosecution  of  their  labors  they  received  the  coun- 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  97 

tenance  and  encouragement  of  the  venerable  mico  of 
the  Yamacraws. 

When  summoned  to  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  the 
colony  against  the  anticipated  invasion  of  the  Spaniards, 
the  Moravians  refused  to  do  so ;  alleging,  that  not 
being  freeholders  there  was  no  civil  obligation  resting 
upon  them  to  perform  military  service ;  further,  that 
their  religious  belief  would  not  permit  them  to  become 
soldiers,  and  finally,  that  before  they  formed  a  portion 
of  the  colony  of  Georgia,  it  was  expressly  stipulated 
that  they  should  be  exempt  from  the  performance  of 
any  military  duties.  In  January,  1737,  Count  Zinzen- 
dorf  sought  a  personal  interview  with  Gov.  Oglethorpe 
and  the  trustees  in  London,  and,  after  mature  con- 
sideration of  their  peculiar  religious  tenets,  and  the 
facts  connected  with  their  settlement  in  Georgia,  secured 
for  the  Moravians  an  exemption  from  the  performance 
of  all  military  services.  This  exemption,  however, 
embittered  the  minds  of  the  colonists  against  them, 
and  rendered  a  further  residence  in  Georgia  very  un- 
pleasant. Accordingly  in  1738  some  of  them,  having 
first  refunded  to  the  authorities  all  moneys  which  had 
been  expended  in  the  defrayal  of  the  expenses  con- 
nected with  their  passage  from  England  and  their  sub- 
sequent location  in  the  province,  abandoned  their  farms, 
already  so  comfortable  and  affording  such  evidences  of 
thrift  and  remuneration,  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania. 
The  rest  remained  in  Georgia,  undisturbed,  until  the 
commencement  of  hostilities  between  the  Spaniards 
and  the  colonists  in  1739,  when,  being  again  summoned 
to  the  field,  they  a  second  time  refused  to  take  up  arms; 
and,  bidding  farewell  to  their  homes  on  the  Savannah, 
joined  their  brethren  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  spring  of 
1740.  Thus  again  united,  they  founded  the  settle- 
ments of  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  which  preserve  to 
13 


98  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

this  day  many  of  the  distinctive  features  which  charac- 
terized this  peculiar  peopled 

Great  hopes  were  entertained  of  the  beneficial  influ- 
ences which  the  religious  teachings  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
John  Wesley  would  exert  upon  the  natives.  The 
sequel  showed  that  he  was  not  only  unfit  for  the  mis- 
sion, hut  that  his  example  and  conduct  in  the  colony 
were  alike  prejudicial  to  the  cause  of  love  and  religion, 
and  positively  subversive  of  law,  order,  and  becoming 
respect  and  obedience  to  the  constituted  authorities. 
On  more  than  one  occasion  he  sadly  perplexed  and 
annoyed  Mr.  Oglethorpe.  In  the  language  of  Mr. 
Wright,2  tenacious  though  he  was  of  his  own  privileges 
as  a  clergyman  he  not  only  preached  upon  the  duty  of 
resistance  to  public  authority,  but  in  open  court  spoke 
against  the  proceedings  of  the  magistrates  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  excite  the  passions  of  the  people.  In  a 
community  of  such  heterogeneous  elements,  even  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  it  was  difficult  enough 
to  enforce  the  laws  ;  and,  with  so  powerful  a  champion 
of  disloyalty,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  magistrates  should 
have  apprehended  personal  violence,  and  feared  that 
the  colony  would  be  reduced  to  a  state  of  anarchy. 
"Wesley's  conduct  therefore  could  not  but  tend  to 
alienate  Gen.  Oglethorpe.  Despite  his  zeal,  devoted- 
ness  and  piety,  notwithstanding  the  good  he  in  after 
life  effected,  there  never  was  a  man  more  unfit  for  the 
office  of  a  missionary  than  he,  now  under  our  notice ; 
arid  perhaps  also  there  never  has  been  a  more  remarka- 
ble transformation  of  character  than  that  of  the  self- 
sufficient,  arrogant  young  priest  into  the  subsequent 


1  Cram's  History  of  the  United  Brethren,  193,  et  seq. 

5  Wright's  Memoir  of  Oglethorpe,  182. 

8  See  also  Stephenti's  Journal  of  Proceedings  in  Georgia,  i,  15-19. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  99 

reviver  of  the  Methodist  church.  While  stationed  at 
Savannah,  Wesley  did  not  consider  himself  so  much  a 
minister  to  the  inhabitants,  as  a  missionary  to  the  In- 
dians. Yet  he  never  so  much  as  attempted  to  learn 
their  language  ;  and  his  own  notions  of  divine  things 
were  then  so  mystical  that  no  interpreter  could  render 
perspicuous  in  a  strange  dialect  what  even  an  English 
hearer  could  not  comprehend. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Tomo-chi-chi  during  his 
visit  to  England,  on  more  than  one  important  occasion 
manifested  great  anxiety  in  reference  to  the  religious 
instruction  of  his  people,  and  requested  that  pious 
teachers  and  good  men  should  be  sent  over  to  enlighten 
the  Indians  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  Previous 
to  this  visit,  and  as  early  as  March,  1733,  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  mentions,  in  a  letter  to  the  trustees,  that  Tomo- 
chi-chi  was  a  constant  worshiper  at  the  church  in 
Savannah,  desired  knowledge  of  Christian  doctrines, 
and  had  confided  his  nephew  and  "  next  heir,"  Toona- 
howi,  to  him  for  the  purposes  of  moral  and  intellectual 
education.  During  the  earliest  days  of  the  colony,  such 
was  the  tractable  disposition  of  the  natives,  and  so 
favorably  impressed  did  they  appear  with  the  religious 
exercises  of  the  first  settlers,  it  was  the  belief  of  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  and  the  trustees  that  a  door  was  opened  for 
the  accomplishment  of  great  good  in  the  evangelization 
of  the  savages.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the  labors 
of  Mr.  Wesley  in  this  behalf  were  anticipated  with 
peculiar  interest,  and  the  most  marked  and  beneficial 
results  were  confidently  predicted  of  his  efforts  in  this 
missionary  field.  Contact  with  the  whites,  however, 
and  the  demoralizing  influences  exerted  by  unscrupu- 
lous traders  caused  the  native  mind  to  question  the 
purity  of  that  religion  whose  professed  votaries  were 
not  unfrequently  at  variance  with  each  other,  encourag- 


100  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

ing  excesses  of  drink  among  the  children  of  the  forest, 
and  by  every  means  seeking  to  secure  an  undue  ad- 
vantage in  trade  over  those  who,  in  offering  for  barter 
or  exchange  their  simple  peltry,  were  ignorant  of  the  ac- 
tual values  of  the  goods  exposed,  and  unable  to  judge 
correctly  of  the  weights  and  measures  by  which  the 
respective  purchases  and  sales  were  to  be  consum- 
mated. It  is  a  common  error  to  estimate  the  character 
of  a  religion  by  the  conduct  of  its  professed  believers. 
By  this  standard  Tomo-chi-chi  weighed  the  religion  of 
the  colonists,  and  as  he  became  more  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  white  race,  as  he  observed  that  in 
their  daily  conduct  his  more  intelligent  neighbors  were 
subject  to  passions,  animosities,  excesses  and  frauds 
very  like  to  those  which  characterized  his  own  people, 
he  was  naturally  led  to  distrust  the  wonderful  influence 
and  the  restraining  graces  of  that  religion  which  they 
professed.  Although  somewhat  disabused  of  the  ex- 
alted impressions  which  he  had  evidently  formed  in 
th.is  respect  upon  his  first  introduction  to  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  and  the  early  colonists,  he  still  retained  a 
marked  respect  for  the  superior  intelligence  of  the 
whites,  and  earnestly  longed  for  the  mental  and  social 
amelioration  of  his  -race.  So  far  from  ever  interposing 
any  objections  to  their  being  influenced,  counselled 
and  instructed,  on  every  occasion  by  personal  aid,  ac- 
quiescence and  commendation  he  countenanced  every 
effort,  whether  of  a  religious  or  intellectual  character, 
which  tended  to  elevate  the  minds  and  morals  of  the 
members  of  his  tribe. 

Upon  his  introduction  to  Mr.  Wesley,  shortly  after 
the  arrival  of  that  missionary,  addressing  him  in  that 
frankness  of  spirit  and  honesty  of  heart  which  scorned 
subterfuges  and  eschewed  everything  likely  to  create 
a  false  impression,  Tomo-chi-chi  said  :  "  I  am  glad  you 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1.  101 

are  come.  When  I  was  in  England  I  desired  that 
some  would  speak  the  great  word  to  me ;  and  our  peo- 
ple then  desired  to  hear  it ;  but  now  we  are  all  in  con- 
fusion. The  French  on  one  side,  and  the  Spanish  on 
the  other,  and  the  traders  in  our  midst  have  caused  us 
much  perplexity,  and  made  our  people  unwilling. 
Their  ears  are  shut.  Their  tongues  are  divided,  and 
some  say  one  thing  and  some  another.  But  I  will  call 
our  chiefs  together  and  speak  to  the  wise  men  of  our 
nation,  and  I  hope  they  will  hear.  But  we  would  not 
be  made  Christians  as  the  Spaniards  make  Christians. 
We  would  be  taught,  and  then,  when  we  understand 
all  clearly,  be  baptized.1 

In  this  there  was  sound,  practical  wisdom.  Convic- 
tion, a  thorough  persuasion  of  the  truth  of  what  was 
taught,  conversion  actual  and  not  constructive,  practi- 
cal, tangible  assurances  of  the  change  wrought  in  mind, 
heart  and  conduct  by  the  legitimate  operation  and  in- 
fluences of  the  principles  advocated  and  adopted,  these 
the  old  chieftain  desired  to  see,  but  not  the  vain  form- 
alities which,  while  they  conferred  a  new  name,  brought 
with  them  no  radical  revolution  in  sentiments  and  acts. 
There  was  a  deal' of  genuine  philosophy  and  salutary 
advice  in  this  welcome  of  Tomo-chi-chi.  It  contained 
suggestions  so  pertinent  that  they  furnished  the  young 
ecclesiastic  with  the  key  note  to  what  should  have 
proved  the  main  object  of  his  mission;  first,  thorough 


1  This  interview  occurred  on  the  14th  of  February,  1736.  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  Thleeanouhee,  Sinauki  and  a  number  of  other  Indians  were  pre- 
sent. They  are  described  as  "  tall,  well  proportioned  men,  having  a 
remarkable  softness  in  their  speech,  and  gentleness  in  their  whole 
behavior." 

Extract  from  the  Journal  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Wesley,  Bristol, 
MDCCXLIIT,  10. 

See  also  Von  Reek's  Account  of  the  Settlement  of  the  Saltzbitrg  Emi- 
grants at  Ebenezer  in  Georgia,  Hamburgh,  1777,  i,  7. 


102  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

persuasion  of  the  truth  of  the  evidences  of  Christianity, 
practical,  intelligent  explanation  of  its  cardinal  princi- 
ples and  doctrines,  and  apt  illustration  of  its  precepts, 
tendency  and  design,  and  then,  when  honest  conviction 
and  conversion  followed,  the  administration  of  the 
ordinance  of  baptism  as  an  outward  public  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  inward  change  wrought  in  the  heart. 
By  the  simple  rite  of  baptism  he  evidently  laid  but 
little  store ;  and  the  satire  pronounced  upon  the  made, 
Christian  of  the  Spanish  priests  is  as  just  as  it  is  pun- 
gent. In  Christians  made  after  this  fashion  he  had  no 
confidence.  He  knew  what  he  said,  and  his  evident 
intention  was  to  direct  the  mind  of  Mr.  Wesley  to  a 
contemplation  of  the  error  committed  by  the  Jesuits, 
and  an  appreciation  of  the  necessity  which  was  laid 
upon  him  to  discharge  in  a  higher  and  better  manner 
the  duties  appertaining  to  his  exalted  mission.  But 
little  difficulty  might  be  encountered  in  making  form- 
alists of  the  natives,  and  in  proselyting  them  from  the 
primitive  faith  in  which  they  had  been  reared,  thereby 
converting  them  simply  into  hypocrites  and  liars,  but 
there  was  great  labor  in  the  thorough  evangelization 
of  the  Indians. 

The  words  of  this  aged  mico  suggest  a  further  and 
a  deeper  significance  so  far  as  the  relationships  between 
himself  and  Mr.  Wesley  were  concerned,  and  it  is  this  ; 
since  my  attention  was  first  called  to  this  subject,  I 
have  closely  observed  and  reflected  upon  the  conduct 
of  those  who  style  themselves  Christians.  The  results 
of  those  observations  are  unsatisfactory,  and  while  I 
am  willing  to  afford  you  every  facility  in  my  power  for 
the  prosecution  of  your  labors,  and  by  my  influence  and 
example  will  counsel  others  to  hearken  to  your  teachings, 
I  have  my  doubts  whether  your  present  mission  will 
prove  successful.  You  have  however  my  best  wishes. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1.  103 

Mr.  Wesley's  reply  was  ill  calculated  to  inspire  the 
confidence  or  enlist  the  special  interest  of  the  strong- 
minded  chieftain.  "  There  is  but  one,  —  He  that  sit- 
teth  in  the  heaven,  —  who  is  able  to  teach  man  wisdom. 
Though  we  are  come  so  far,  we  know  not  whether 
He  will  please  to  teach  you  by  us  or  no.  If  He 
teaches  you,  you  will  learn  wisdom ;  but  we  can  do 
nothing." 

Abstractly  considered,  this  response  was  most  just, 
and,  to  the  appreciation  of  a  learned  believer  in  the 
doctrine  of  predestinarianism  would  doubtless  have 
been  accepted  as  most  convincing;  but  it  was  certainly 
poorly  adapted  to  win  the  trust  or  encourage  hope  in 
the  breast  of  a  stern  Indian  warrior,  who,  for  ninety-four 
years,  had  wandered  amid  the  gloom  of  absolute  spirit- 
ual darkness.  The  effect  produced  upon  the  mind  of 
Tomo-chi-chi  was  unfortunate  ;  and  subsequently  there 
does  not  appear  to  have  existed  between  himself  and 
Mr.  "W  esley  that  affection  and  confidence  which  so  often 
characterize  the  personal  intercourse  between  a  zealous 
missionary  and  an  attentive  hearer. 

At  a  later  interview,  when  Mr.  Wesley  urged  To- 
mo-chi-chi to  hearken  to  the  doctrines  of  Christianity 
and  become  a  convert,  the  old  man  scornfully  re- 
sponded ;  "  Why  these  are  Christians  at  Savannah ! 
Those  are  Christians  at  Frederica !  Christians  drunk  ! 
Christians  beat  men !  Christians  tell  lies  !  Me  no 
Christian." 

On  one  occasion  Scenauki,  Tomo-chi-chi's  wife,  in 
the  gentleness  of  woman's  heart,  anxious  to  soften  the 
seeming  asperity  of  the  mico's  conduct  toward  the 
missionary,  presented  him  with  two  jars  of  honey  and 
one  of  milk,  and  invited  him  to  come  up  to  Yamacraw 
and  teach  the  children ;  adding,  "  the  honey  represents 
the  inclination  of  our  people  there,  and  the  milk,  the 


104  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

need  of  our  children."  1  Beautiful  illustration,  com- 
parison most  apt ! 

On  another  occasion,  upon  the  termination  of  a  pub- 
lic audience  with  the  Indians,  Wesley  and  the  venerable 
chief  dined  with  Governor  Oglethorpe.  After  dinner 
the  missionary  asked  the  gray-headed  old  man  "  what 
he  thought  he  was  made  for  ?"  "  He  that  is  above," 
replied  the  mico,  "  knows  what  He  made  us  for.  We 
know  nothing.  We  are  in  the  dark.  But  white  men 
know  much,  and  yet  white  men  build  great  houses  as 
if  they  were  to  live  forever.  But  white  men  cannot 
live  forever.  In  a  little  time  white  men  will  be  dust  as 
well  as  I."  Wesley  responded,  "  If  red  men  will  learn 
the  Good  Book  they  may  know  as  much  as  white  men. 
But  neither  we  nor  you  can  understand  that  Book  un- 
less we  are  taught  by  Him  that  is  above ;  and  He  will 
not  teach  unless  you  avoid  what  you  already  know  is 
not  good.'1  "  I  believe  that,"  said  the  Indian.  "  He 
will  not  teach  us  while  our  hearts  are  not  white,  and 
our  men  do  what  they  know  is  not  good.  Therefore 
He  that  is  above,  does  not  send  us  the  Good  Book." 2 

When  Anaxagoras  was  asked  the  end  of  his  coming 
into  the  world,  he  replied  "  to  contemplate  the  sun,  the 
moon  and  the  other  wonders  of  nature."  In  the  esti- 
mation of  this  philosopher  the  supreme  good  consisted 
in  the  calm  contemplation  of  the  secrets  of  nature. 
The  severe  study  of  natural  phenomena  constituted  the 
chief  end  and  proper  object  of  man's  existence.  The 
pursuit  of  pleasure  is  the  supreme  end  and  aim  of  our 
being,  responds  the  disciple  of  Epicurus; — the  morti- 
fication of  natural  appetites,  answers  the  stoic ;  —  the 
attainment  of  honor  and  distinction,  pleads  the  man  of 


1  Harris'  Memorials  of  Oglethorpe,  165. 

"See  extract  from  the  Journal  of  Ret.  Mr.  Jno.  Wesley.    Bristol, 
MDCCXLIII,  i,  23. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  105 

ambition  ;  —  to  obtain  the  desired  good  and  perish  with 
its  using,  sneers  the  satirist; — to  obey  God  and  love 
your  neighbor  as  yourself,  urges  the  Christian. 

There  is  in  this  response  of  the  aged  mico  a  strange 
commingling  of  satire,  irony  and  candor,  which  de- 
rived strength  from  an  apparent  confession  of  weak- 
ness, evinced  knowledge  by  an  admission  of  ignorance, 
and  pointed  the  self-satisfied  clergyman  to  the  contem- 
plation of  that  stern  decree  which  levels  both  small  and 
great,  wise  and  foolish,  civilized  and  savage,  returning 
the  mightiest  as  well  as  the  lowliest  to  one  common 
grave. 

Between  two  worlds  Life  hovers  like  a  star, 
'Twixt  night  and  morn  upon  the  horizon's  verge. 
How  little  do  we  know  that  which  we  are  ! 
How  less  what  we  may  be  !     The  eternal  surge 
Of  Time  and  Tide  rolls  on,  and  bears  afar 
Our  bubbles ;  as  the  old  burst,  new  emerge 
Lashed  from  the  foam  of  ages ;  while  the  Graves 
Of  Empires  heave  but  like  some  passing  waves.1 

In  Spencers  Anecdotes2  the  following  is  related  of 
Tomo-chi  chi :  "  When  Gen.  Oglethorpe  was  convers- 
ing with  a  sensible  old  native  of  Georgia  about  prayer, 
the  latter  said  that  they  never  prayed  to  God,  but  left 
it  to  Him  to  do  what  He  thought  to  be  best  for  them ; 
that  the  asking  for  an}7  particular  blessing  looked  to 
him  like  directing  God ;  and  if  so,  that  it  must  be  a 
very  wicked  thing.  That  for  his  part,  he  thought 
everything  that  happened  in  the  world  was  as  it  should 
be ;  that  God  of  Himself  would  do  for  every  one  what 
was  consistent  with  the  good  of  the  whole ;  and  that 
our  duty  to  Him  was  to  be  content  with  whatever  hap- 


1  Byron. 

*Idem,  318,  London  edition  of  1820. 
14 


106  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

pened  in  general,  and  thankful  for  all  the  good  that 
happened  in  particular." 

In  this  conviction  the  aged  mico  was  not  singular. 
Appollonius  frequently  asserted  that  the  only  supplica- 
tion which  ought  to  be  offered  by  worshipers  in  the 
temples  of  the  gods  was,  O  gods,  grant  us  those  things 
which  you  deem  most  conducive  to  our  well-being. 
Socrates, —  that  oracle  of  human  wisdom,  —  because  the 
gods  who  were  accustomed  to  bestow  favors  were  best 
able  to  select  such  gifts  as  were  most  fit,  warned  his 
disciples  against  the  danger  and  the  impropriety  of 
offering  petitions  for  specific  things.  The  prayer  of 
the  old  poet,  "  O  Jupiter,  ea  quse  bona  sunt  nobis  oran- 
tibus,  aut  non  orantibus,  tribue ;  quse  vero  mala,  etiam 
orantibus  ne  concede,"  has  been,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  lauded  in  the  school  of  the  philosophers  as 
most  suitable.  In  that  wonderful  Satire  of  Juvenal  in 
which  the  poet  by  illustrious  examples  portrays  the 
ruinous  consequences  which  have  ensued  where  the 
gods  complied  with  the  expressed  desires  of  men,  it 
will  be  remembered,  that  in  answer  to  the  question 

Nil  ergo  optabunt  homines  ? 
he  responds, 

Si  consilium  vis, 

Permittes  ipsis  expendere  numinibus,  quid 
Conveniat  nobis,  rebusque  sit  utile  nobis.1 

Epicurus  believed  that  invocations,  prayers  and  sac- 
rifices were  superfluous ;  that  in  all  the  accidents  and 
difficulties  of  life  there  was  no  propriety  in  having 
recourse  to  the  gods,  or  in  prostrating  ourselves  before 
theiraltars ;  but  that  we  ought,  in  perfect  tranquillity 


1  See  Tenth  Satire  of  Juvenal,  line  346,  et  seq. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  107 

to  contemplate  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  and,  without 
emotion,  encounter  the  changing  circumstances  which 
might  befall  us. 

So  far  as  our  information  extends,  there  is  hut  one 
other  recorded  interview  between  Tomo-chi-chi  and 
the  missionaries,  although  he  was  doubtless  in  frequent 
communication  with  them.  It  occurred  not  very  long 
before  his  death.  Learning  that  he  was  ill,  Mr.  White- 
tield  called  to  see  him.  He  found  him  thin  and  weak, 
lying  on  a  blanket.  His  wife  Scenauki  was  sitting  by 
his  side  fanning  him  with  feathers.  He  was  too  feeble 
to  hold  any  conversation,  and  the  clergyman  could 
only  shake  hands  with  him  and  take  his  leave.  A  few 
days  afterwards  he  returned,  and  finding  l  Toonahowi 
there,  requested  him  to  ask  his  uncle  "  When  he 
thought  he  would  die  ?  "  "I  cannot  tell,"  was  the  la- 
conic reply.  Mr.  Whitefield  then  inquired  of  the 
emaciated  old  chief  "Where  he  thought  he  would  go 
after  death?"  His  answer  was  "  To  Heaven."  "  Fur- 
ther inquiries,  however,"  adds  the  missionary, "  led  me 
to  doubt  the  preparedness  of  Tomo-chi-chi  for  such  a 
state  of  purity." 


1  This  nephew  of  Tomo-chi-chi  subsequently  accompanied  Gen.  Ogle- 
tliorpe  upon  his  expedition  against  St.  Augustine.  Still  later,  heading 
a  party  of  Creek  Indians,  he  made  an  incursion  up  to  the  very  walls  , 
of  that  city,  capturing  Don  Romualdo  Ruiz  del  Moral,  lieutenant  of 
Spanish  horse  and  nephew  to  the  late  governor  of  Florida,  and  deliver- 
ing him  in  person  to  Gen.  Oglethorpe.*  During  that  memorable  and 
successful  resistance  offered  by  Gen.  Oglethorpe  to  the  Spanish  attack 
upon  St.  Simon's  island  in  1742,  Toonahowi,  true  to  the  impulses  of 
valor,  personal  courage  and  friendship  which  characterized  his  venera- 
ble uncle,  remained  firm  in  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  English, 
and  performed  valuable  military  service.  The  following  instance  of 
his  gallantry  has  been  preserved.  On  the  7th  of  July,  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  ranger  from  the  patrol  brought  information 

*  See  Letter  of  Gen.  Oglethorpe  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  under  date  Frederica, 
12th  December,  1741. 


108  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  the  religious  views  of 
Tomo-chi-chi,  it  will  not  be  forgotten  that  he  was  an 
aged  and  prominent  chief  of  that  family  of  Indians 
who,  so  far  as  our  positive  knowledge  extends,  and 
organic  remains  furnish  proof,  never  fashioned  or 
worshiped  idols.  Like  the  ancient  Germans  they  did 
not  deem  it  consistent  with  their  ideas  of  the  dignity 
and  majesty  of  the  Supreme  Divinity  to  attempt  to 
confine  him  within  the  limits  of  rude  temples,  or  to 
liken  his  image  to  that  of  beast,  or  bird,  or  created  thing. 
Believing  in  the  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  of 
One  Great  Spirit,  who  dwelt  above  in  the  regions  of 
infinite  space,  they  rested  satisfied  in  the  conviction 
that  there  was  a  future  state, —  a  further  land  in  which 
the  departed  would  be  happy  or  miserable  according 
as  they  had  conducted  themselves  well  or  ill  in  this 
life.  In  the  one  case,  they  would  forever  roam  at  ease 
in  the  midst  of  beautiful  savannas,  watered  by  cool  and 
limpid  streams,  abounding  in  game  of  every  variety 


to  the  general  that  a  body  of  the  enemy  had  approached  within  two 
miles  of  Frederica.  He  ordered  four  platoons  of  the  regiment  immedi- 
ately to  follow  him,  and  marched  with  some  rangers,  Highlanders  and 
Indians,  who  were  then  under  arms,  and  attacked  the  enemy  about  a 
mile  from  the  fort,  as  they  were  entering  a  savanna  to  take  posses- 
sion of  a  ditch  which  they  intended  to  use  as  an  intrenchment.  The 
general  attacked  them  with  such  vigor  that  they  were  soon  defeated, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  were  killed  and  taken  prisoners. 
The  general  took  two  prisoners  with  his  own  hand.  Lieut.  Scroggs 
of  the  rangers  took  Capt.  Sachio  prisoner,  who  commanded  the  party. 
Toonahowi  an  Indian  chief  was  shot  in  the  right  arm  by  Capt.  Mage- 
leto.  He  drew  his  pistol  with  the  left  and  shot  the  captain  dead  upon 
the  spot.* 

This  brave  warrior  and  faithful  ally  was  finally  killed  in  1743  at 
Lake  di  Papa,  while  valiantly  fighting  for  the  English  against  the 
Yemasee  Indians.f 

*  M^Cairs  Georgia,  i,  180,  181. 

t  Wright's  Memoir  of  Oglethorpe,  126,  243,  286,  305  ;  Harris1  Memorials  of  Ogle- 
tfiorpe,  255,  256 ;  Gentleman's  Magazine,  xn,  497. 


OF  TOMO-CH1-CHL  109 

and  excellence,  filled  with  delicious  fruits  and  pleasant 
shade-trees,  fanned  by  refreshing  airs,  where  cloudless 
skies  were  darkened  by  no  rude  storms,  where  peace 
and  friendship  and  quiet  rest  were  interrupted  by  no 
tumults  or  hostile  alarms :  in  the  other,  the  unhappy 
delinquents  would  be  doomed  to  perpetual  want  and 
strife  and  hunger  amid  barren  and  inhospitable  wastes. 
True,  the  Indian  home  of  the  blessed  was  but  a  mate- 
rial paradise,  yet,  in  his  simple  appreciation,  the  ulti- 
mate enjoyment  of  its  promised  happiness  inspired  in 
his  bosom  as  much  genuine  desire,  and  the  hope  of 
entering  its  joyful  confines  was  as  ardent  as  the  long- 
ing of  the  follower  of  Hassan  for  his  Epicurean  garden, 
or  the  thirst  of  the  Scandinavian  warrior  for  the  pro- 
digal feast  in  the  great  hall  of  Odin. 

In  all  the  recorded  acts  and  incidents, —  and  they 
are  but  few, —  which  illustrate  the  life  of  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  there  runs  a  vein  of  manhood,  of  honor,  of  friend- 
ship, of  generosity,  of  integrity,  of  courage,  of  fidelity,  of 
love  for  his  fellow-man,  and  of  interest  in  whatever  was 
elevating  and  of  good  report,  which  was  quite  remarka- 
ble in  one  of  his  advanced  age,  confirmed  habits,  sta- 
tion, and  opportunities.  We  search  in  vain  for  a  single 
instance  of  duplicity,  a  doubtful  word,  a  breach  of  faith, 
a  criminal  indulgence,  a  manifestation  of  hypocrisy. 
His  impulses  were  good,  his  influence  on  the  side  of 
truth  and  justice,  and  his  sentiments  at  times  not  un- 
worthy a  disciple  of  Plato.  That  he  was  received  into 
the  close  friendship  and  companionship  of  Gov.  Ogle- 
thorpe,  is  no  mean  commendation  of  his  worth.  That 
he  was  by  common  consent  regarded  as  the  most  valued 
ally  of  the  colonists,  entitles  his  memory  to  special 
preservation.  His  affiliation  with  the  English '  was 
marked,  and  is  calculated  to  excite  surprise  iu  the 
minds  of  those  who  do  not  contemplate  the  fact  that 


110  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

he  appears  at  the  very  outset  to  have  formed  a  just  ap- 
preciation of  the  overshadowing  influences  of  that  new 
and  superior  civilization.  He  coincided  with  its  im- 
pulses and  aims,  because  his  judgment  assured  him  of 
its  predestined  triumph  over  every  opposition.  For 
the  missionaries,  as  a  class,  he  seems  to  have  entertained 
a  becoming  respect,  although  he  may  not  have  yielded 
himself  blindly  to  doctrines  the  precise  import  of  which 
he  probably  did  not  fully  comprehend.  It  will  not,  we 
presume,  be  denied,  that  the  religous  teachers  with 
whom  he  was  immediately  associated,  were,  in  their 
doctrines,  too  abstruse  for  the  facile  comprehension  of 
the  unlearned  and  the  semi-civilized.  Besides,  they 
actually  devoted  but  little  serious  consecutive  atten- 
tion to  the  evangelization  ot  the  Indians.  As  a  general 
rule,  they  did  not  master  the  language  of  the  natives  so 
as  to  place  themselves  in  positive  sympathy  with 
their  hearers.  As  a  natural  result,  but  little  was  either 
attempted  or  accomplished  by  them.  The  harvest 
was  plentiful,  but  the  laborers  were  few  and  inefficient. 
To  whom  much  is  given,  of  the  same  shall  much  be 
required.  The  converse  is  perhaps  equally  true ;  and 
we  would  fain  hope  that  this  aged  son  of  the  forest, 
who,  for  aught  we  know,  earnestly  endeavored  to  live 
up  to  the  teachings  of  that  light  with  which  the  God 
of  nature  illuminated  his  pathway, —  who,  in  his  con- 
tact with  a  superior  civilization,  strove  to  profit,  at 
least  in  some  measure,  by  its  excellencies  without  suf- 
fering contamination  from  its  demoralizing  influences, — 
who  brought  to  a  companionship  with  his  new  and 
more  powerful  neighbors  a  spirit  of  generosity,  enlarged 
views,  and  a  maturity  of  judgment  scarcely  to  be  ex- 
pected in  one  of  his  race, —  who,  in  his  interviews  with 
the  missionaries,  manifested  a  regard  for  truth  and  an 
abhorrence  of  the  shadow  without  the  substance,  the 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHL  HI 

offering  without  the  incense  which  perfumes  and  sancti- 
fies it, —  did,  through  the  tender  mercies  of  Him  who 
is  boundless  in  His  compassion,  when  his  disembodied 
spirit  left  the  aged  and  emaciated  frame  upon  the  bank 
of  the  Savannah,  find  entrance  into  a  home  of  peace 
and  forgiveness  and  love. 


112  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Last  public  interview  between  Oglethorpe  and  Tomo-chi-chi  —  Mr. 
Oglethorpe's  visit  to  Coweta  —  Last  illness  —  Death  and  burial  of 
Tomo-chi-chi  —  Concluding  observations. 

1FTER  his  return  from  St.  Simon's  island  it 
does  not  appear  that  Torno-chi-chi  was,  for 
some  time,  actively  engaged  in  the  perform- 
ance of  any  services  of  a  public  character 
connected  with  the  affairs  of  the  colony.  All  proba- 
bility of  an  attack  from  the  Spaniards  had  passed 
away.  The  Indian  tribes  were  at  peace  with  their 
white  neighbors,  and  every  one  was  chiefly  busied  with 
those  important  but  tedious  details  which  character- 
ize the  occupations  of  early  settlers  charged  with  sub- 
duing forests  and  developing  new  plantations.  Toward 
the  close  of  1737  Tomo-chi-chi  disposed  of  his  posses- 
sions at  Yamacraw,  and  moved  about  two  miles  or 
more,  higher  up  the  Savannah  river.  The  history  of 
this  primitive  alienation  is  thus  told  by  Mr.  Stephens  : 

1737,  Tuesday,  December  13. —  In  my  walk  towards  evening, 
upon  hearing  of  some  preparations  made  for  a  small  collation  at 
the  old  Indian  town,  where  Toino-chi-chi  formerly  lived,  which 
is  about  a  furlong  out  of  town,  I  went  out  of  curiosity  (with 
some  others)  to  see  what  passed,  and  there  I  found  a  table  spread 
with  a  cloth,  etc. 

Mrs.  Matthews  (formerly  Mrs.  Musgrove)  was  sitting  at  the 
end  of  it  with  two  young  girls, —  her  husband  and  Tomo-chi-chi 
near  by,  and  a  young  shote  just  ready  barbacu'd  over  a  fire  in 
the  wood,  was  set  on  the  table.  They  asked  us  very  kindly  to  sit 
down  and  take  part  with  them,  which  one  or  two  did;  and  we, 
who  had  no  stomach  to  eat,  did  not  refuse  taking  two  or  three 
glasses  of  wine.  The  occasion  of  this,  I  found,  was  meant  as  a 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  113 

treat  to  Tomo-chi-chi  and  three  or  four  Indians,  upon  his  mak- 
ing a  grant  of  that  spot  of  land  to  Mrs.  Matthews  and  her  hus- 
band ;  and  Tomo-chi-chi  addressing  his  discourse  to  me  by  Mrs. 
Matthews  (who  interpreted),  said  to  this  effect:  That  he  desired 
notice  might  be  taken  of  his  claim  and  property  in  that  land; 
that  he  had  granted  it  to  Mrs.  Matthews  and  her  husband,  and 
that  he  hoped  the  trustees  would  not  be  offended  if  henceforth 
Mr.  Matthews  allowed  no  cattle  to  go  there  but  his  own ;  all 
which  I  promised  to  take  notice  of.  N.  B.  This  land  begins  at 
the  rails  near  the  '  town's  end,  runs  away  west  to  a  small  creek, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  river,  on  the  south  by  several 
blazed  trees,  and  is  judged  about  two  or  three  hundred  acres 
more  or  less.'2 

The  interests  of  the  colony  requiring  his  presence 
again  in  England,  and  being  very  desirous  of  securing  at 
an  early  moment  an  additional  supply  of  soldiers  for  the 
defense  more  particularly  of  the  southern  and  south-east- 
ern portions  of  the  province,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  embarked 
for  the  mother  country  on  the  29th  of  November, 
1736.  During  his  sojourn  in  England  his  attention  was 
deeply  enlisted  in  raising  a  regiment  for  Georgia.  In 
October,  1737,  he  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  kissing  his 
majesty's  hand  upon  receiving  his  commission  as  colo- 
nel. Sailing  from  Portsmouth  on  the  5th  of  July,  1738, 
with  the  compliment  of  his  regiment  [several  compa- 
nies having  preceded  him]  and  their  wives  and  children, 
in  five  transports,  convoyed  by  the  men  of  war,  "  Bland- 
ford  "  and  "  Hector,"  he  arrived  at  St.  Simon's  island 
on  the  18th  of  September ;  nothing  having  occurred  to 
interrupt  the  success  or  the  pleasure  of  the  voyage. 
3  At  Frederica  he  was  received  with  a  salute  of  fifteen 


1  Savannah. 

*  A  Journal  of  Proceedings  in  Georgia,  etc.,  by  William  Stephens, 
Esq.     London,  MDCCXLII,  i,  59,  60. 
3  See  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  1739,  22. 
15 


114  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

guns,  and  by  the  magistrates  and  townspeople  in  a 
mass,  who  congratulated  him  upon  his  arrival,  and 
testified  the  great  sense  they  had  of  his  majesty's  good- 
ness in  providing  for  their  security.  He  remained  on 
the  island  until  the  8th  of  October.  During  his  stay 
he  was  visited  by  a  number  of  Indians,  who  reported 
that  the  chief  men  from  the  towns  of  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Creeks  would  come  down  and  see  him  so  soon 
as  they  should  be  notified  of  his  arrival.  -To  them  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  expressed  his  intention  of  returning  shortly 
to  Savannah,  where  he  assured  them  he  would  be  most 
happy  to  meet  and  confer  with  them  and  the  other 
delegates  from  the  Creek  nations.  During  their  visit 
they  hunted  every  day  and  brought  in  venison  to  the 
governor. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  set  out  for 
Savannah  in  an  open  boat,  accompanied  by  two  other 
boats.  After  rowing  two  days  and  nights  he  reached 
that  town,  and  was  received  by  the  magistrates  at  the 
water's  side,  and  saluted  by  the  cannon  and  the  militia 
under  arms.  The  people  spent  the  night  in  rejoicings 
and  in  making  bonfires. 

The  following  day  Tomo-chi-chi  waited  upon  the 
governor.  He  had  been  very  ill,  but  the  good  old 
man  was  so  greatly  rejoiced  at  his  return,  that  he  said 
it  recovered  him,  making  him  "moult  like  an  eagle." 
He  informed  Mr.  Oglethorpe  that  the  chiefs  of  several 
of  the  towns  of  the  Creek  nation  were  at  his  house 
waiting  to  present  in  person  their  congratulations  upon 
the  safe  arrival  of  the  governor,  and  assure  him  of 
their  fidelity  to  the  king. 

The  13th  was  designated  for  their  reception.  At 
the  appointed  time  Tomo-chi-chi  came  down  the  river 
from  his  settlement,  bringing  with  him  the  mico  or 
king  of  the  Chehaws,  the  mico  of  the  Oakmuges,  the 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CIIl.  H5 

mico  of  the  Ouchases,  and  the  mico  of  the  Parachacolas, 
with  thirty  warriors  and  fifty^two  attendants.  As  the 
Indians  landed  and  walked  up  the  bluff  at  Savannah, 
they  were  saluted  by  a  battery  of  cannon,  and  escorted 
by  a  detachment  of  militia  to  the  Town  Hall,  where 
Gov.  Oglethorpe  was  in  readiness  to  receive  them. 
On  seeing  him  they  expressed  great  joy,  and  said  that 
the  Spaniards  had  endeavored  to  persuade  them  that 
he  was  at  gft.  Augustine,  and  had  invited  them  down 
to  their  fort  to  meet  him  there.  That  they  accordingly 
went  thither,  but  as  soon  as  they  ascertained  the  fact 
that  he  was  not  there,  they  returned,  although  valuable 
presents  were  offered  them  by  the  Spaniards  who  pre- 
tended to  account  for  Gov.  Oglethorpe's  absence  by 
saying  that  he  was  very  ill  on  board  a  ship  in  the 
harbor.  They  further  stated  that  although  strongly 
advised  by  the  Spaniards  to  fall  out  with  the  English, 
they  still  adhered  to  the  terms  of  amity  contained  in 
the  existing  treaties,  were  firm  in  their  attachment  to 
his  majesty  the  king  of  England,  and  had  come  to 
testify  in  person  their  loyalty.  They  assured  the 
governor  that  they  would  on  all  occasions  assist  him  in 
repelling  the  enemies  of  the  king ;  that  deputies  from 
the  remaining  towns  would  come  down  and  express 
their  congratulations  and  good-will  as  soon  as  they 
were  apprized  of  his  arrival,  and  that  the  Creek  nation 
was  prepared  to  send  one  thousand  warriors  to  any 
point  the  governor  should  designate,  where  they  would 
be  entirely  subject  to  his  command. 

They  desired  that  correct  brass  weights  and  sealed 
measures  should  be  lodged  with  the  king  of  each  town, 
so  that  they  might  be  enabled  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  false  weights  and  measures  of  the  Carolina 
traders,  by  whom  they  were  constantly  and  sadly  de- 
frauded. An  invitation  was  extended  to  Gov.  Ogle- 


116  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

thorpe  to  visit  their  towns  during  the  coming  summer, 
and  see  their  people.  This  he  promised  to  do.  Hand- 
some presents  were  distributed  among  them,  and  the 
interview  terminated  with  great  good  feeling.  At 
night  the  Indians  had  a  dance  at  which  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  was  present,  and  the  next  day  they  set  out  on 
their  return  homeward.1 

Subsequent  events  demonstrated  the  necessity  for 
an  acceptance  of  the  invitation  extended  by  the  In- 
dians to  Gov.  Oglethorpe  during  this  interview.  Al- 
luding to  the  existing  troubles,  and  his  purpose  of 
executing  this  journey  at  an  early  day,  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
on  the  15th  of  June  wrote  the  trustees : 

I  have  received  frequent  and  confirmed  advices  that  the 
Spaniards  are  striving  to  bribe  tbe  Indians,  and  particularly 
the  Creek  nation,  to  differ  from  us;  and  the  disorder  of  the 
traders  is  such  as  gives  but  too  much  room  to  render  the  In- 
dians discontented ;  great  numbers  of  vagrants  being  gone  up 
without  licences  either  from  Carolina,  or  us.  Chigilly  and 
Malachee,  the  son  of  the  great  Brim,  who  was  called  emperor 
of  the  Creeks  by  the  Spaniards,  insist  upon  my  coming  up  to 
put  all  things  in  order,  and  have  acquainted  me  that  all  the 
chiefs  of  the  nation  will  come  down  to  the  Coweta  town  to  meet  me 
and  hold  the  general  assembly  of  the  Indian  nations,  where  they 
will  take  such  measures  as  will  be  necessary  to  hinder  the  Span- 
iards from  corrupting  and  raising  sedition  amongst  their  people. 
This  journey,  though  a  very  fatiguing  and  dangerous  one,  is 
quite  necessary  to  be  taken  ;  for  if  not,  the  Spaniards  who  have 
sent  up  great  presents  to  them,  will  bribe  the  corrupt  part  of 
the  nation ;  and,  if  the  honester  part  is  not  supported,  will  pro- 
bably overcome  them  and  force  the  whole  nation  into  a  war 
with  England.  Tomo-chi-chi  and  all  the  Indians  advise  me  to 
go  up.  The  Coweta  town,  where  the  meeting  is  to  be,  is  near 
five  hundred  miles  from  hence;  it  is  in  a  straight  line  three 
hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  All  the  towns  of  the  Creeks  and 


'See  Letter  from  Savannah,  under  date  October  22d,  1738. 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  117 

of  the  Cousees  and  Talapousees,  though  three  hundred  miles 
from  the  Cowetas,  will  come  down  to  the  meeting.  The  Choc- 
taws  also  and  the  Chickasaws  will  send  thither  their  deputies ; 
so  that  7,000  men  depend  upon  the  event  of  this  assembly. 
The  Creeks  can  furnish  1,500  warriors,  the  Chickasaws  500, 
and  the  Choctaws  5,000.  I  am  obliged  to  buy  horses  and  pre- 
sents to  carry  up  to  this  meeting.1 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1739,  Mr.  Oglethorpe  started 
upon  this  adventurous  expedition.  Accompanied  by 
Lieut.  Dunbar,  Ensign  Leman,  and  Mr.  Eyre,  a  cadet, 
and  attended  by  his  servants,  he  proceeded  in  his  cutter 
up  the  Savannah.  Landing  at  the  Uchee  town,  five 
and  twenty  miles  above  Ebenezer,  where  he  had  en- 
gaged Indian  traders  to  meet  him  with  saddle  and 
sumpter  horses,  the  general  entered  upon  his  journey 
of  three  hundred  miles  through  a  trackless  wilderness. 
Along  rough  ravines,  through  tangled  thickets,  and 
over  dreary  swamps  in  which  the  horses  mired  and 
plunged,  the  travelers  patiently  followed  their  native 
guides.  More  than  once  they  had  to  construct  rafts 
on  which  to  pass  great  rivers,  and  many  smaller  streams 
were  crossed  by  wading  or  swimming.  Wrapped  in 
his  cloak,  with  his  portmanteau  for  a  pillow,  their 
hardy  leader  lay  down  to  sleep  upon  the  ground ;  or, 
if  the  night  happened  to  be  wet,  he  sheltered  himself 
in  a  covert  of  cypress  boughs  spread  upon  poles.  For 
a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles  the  adventurers  neither 
saw  a  human  habitation  nor  met  a  single  soul ;  but,  as 
they  came  nearer  to  their  journey's  end  they  here  and 
there  found  provisions  which  the  primitive  people  they 
were  about  to  visit  had  deposited  for  them  in  the 
woods.  When  the  general  had  approached  within 
forty  miles  of  his  destination,  he  was  received  by  a 


1  Wright's  Memoir  of  Oglethorpe,  213,  214. 


118  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

deputation  of  chiefs  who  escorted  him  on  the  remain- 
der of  his  way  to  Coweta,  the  principal  town  of  the 
Muscoghee  or  Creek  Indians;  and,  although  the  Ame- 
rican aborigines  are  rarely  demonstrative,  nothing 
could  exceed  the  joy  manifested  by  these  red  men  on 
Oglethorpe's  arrival.1 

By  having  undertaken  so  long  and  difficult  a  jour- 
ney for  the  purpose  of  visiting  them,  by  coming  amongst 
them  with  only  a  few  attendants  in  fearless  reliance 
on  their  good  faith,  by  the  readiness  with  which  he 
accommodated  himself  to  their  habits,  and  by  the  natu- 
ral dignity  of  his  deportment,  Oglethorpe  won  the 
hearts  of  his  red  brothers,  whom  he  was  never  known 
to  deceive.  On  the  llth  of  August  the  chiefs  of  the 
several  tribes  assembled,  and  the  great  council  was 
opened  with  all  the  solemn  rites  prescribed  for  such 
occasions.  After  many  "  talks,"  terms  of  intercourse 
and  stipulations  for  trade  were  satisfactorily  arranged ; 
and  Oglethorpe,  as  one  of  their  beloved  men,  partook 
of  the  2Foskey,  or  "black-medicine  drink,  and  smoked 
with  them  the  calumet  or  hallowed  pipe  of  peace. 

On  the  21st  of  the  same  month  was  concluded  a 
formal  treaty  by  which  the  Creeks  renewed  their  fealty 
to  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  terms  more  full 
and  explicit  confirmed  their  previous  grants  of  terri- 
tory; while  the  general,  on  the  part  of  the  trustees, 
engaged  that  the  English  should  not  encroach  upon 


1  Letter  to  the  Trustees,  dated  Fort  Augusta,  September  5th,  1739. 

1  Foskey,  a  decoction  of  the  leaves  and  young  shoots  of  the  catena 
or  yaupon  (prinos  glaber)  producing  an  exhilarating  effect.  It  is  pre- 
pared with  much  formality,  and,  being  considered  a  sacred  beverage, 
none  but  the  chiefs,  war-captains,  and  priests  or  beloved  men  partake 
of  it ;  and  these  only  upon  special  occasions.  Accounts  of  its  prepara- 
tion and  use  may  be  found  in  Lawson's  Voyage  to  Carolina  (London, 
1709),  90 ;  The  Natural  History  of  Florida,  by  Bernard  Romans,  94, 
and  Adair's  History  of  the  American  Indians,  108. 


OF  TOMO-CH1-CHI.  H9 

their  reserves,  and  that  the  traders  should  deal  fairly 
and  honestly  with  them.1 

Commenting  upon  this  remarkable  journey  of  Gen. 
Oglethorpe,  Mr.  Spalding,2  with  no  less  truth  than  fer- 
vor remarks,  "  When  we  call  into  remembrance  the 
then  force  of  these  tribes, — for  they  could  have  brought 
into  the  field  twenty  thousand  fighting  men, —  when  we 
call  to  remembrance  the  influence  the  French  had 
everywhere  else  obtained  over  the  Indians,—  when  we 
call  to  remembrance  the  distance  he  had  to  travel 
through  solitary  pathways  *  *  *  exposed 
to  summer  suns,  night  dews,  and  to  the  treachery  of 
any  single  Indian  who  knew, — and  every  Indian 
knew, — the  rich  reward  that  would  have  awaited  him 
for  the  act  from  the  Spaniards  in  St.  Augustine,  or  the 
French  in  Mobile,  surely  we  may  proudly  ask,  what 
soldier  ever  gave  higher  proof  of  courage  ?  What  gen- 
tleman ever  gave  greater  evidence  of  magnanimity? 
What  English  governor  of  an  American  province  ever 
gave  such  assurance  of  deep  devotion  to  public  duty  ?  " 

Upon  this  important  and  momentous  mission  the 
aged  mico,  Tomo-chi-chi,  was  too  feeble  to  accompany 
his  friend  the  governor ;  but  we  are  assured  that  he 
exerted  his  every  influence  in  bringing  about  the  me- 
morable convention,  and  in  securing  in  advance  for 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  assurances  that  he  would  be  received 
with  the  utmost  cordiality  and  treated  with  the  most 
distinguished  consideration. 

The  interview  of  the  13th  of  October  was  the  last, 
so  far  as  the  journals  of  the  day  give  evidence,  in  which 
Torno-chi-chi  participated,  in  a  formal  public  manner, 
at  the  head  of  an  Indian  deputation.  For  some  time 


1  See  Wright's  Memoir  of  Oglethorpe,  215-17. 

2  Georgia  Historical  Collections,  i,  263. 


120  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

previous  to  his  death,  his  health,  we  infer,  was  feeble, 
and  he  was  generally  at  home  in  his  new  and  humble 
dwelling  upon  the  banks  of  the  Savannah.  He  had 
attained  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  and, 
although  remarkably  vigorous  and  active,  and  in  the 
full  enjoyment  of  his  mental  faculties,  could  not  resist 
the  inevitable  law  which  finally  induces  decrepitude, 
decay  and  death.  His  last  illness  seems  to  have  been 
protracted,  and  we  may  very  justly  conjecture  that 
during  its  continuance  he  was  the  constant  recipient  of 
marked  attentions  from  his  friends  the  colonists,  whom 
he  had  always  so  signally  cherished,  and  who  should 
'have  been  most  anxious  to  alleviate  his  sufferings, 
most  solicitous  to  prolong  his  valuable  life.  Preserv- 
ing his  mental  faculties  unimpaired  to  the  latest  mo- 
ment of  his  existence,  his  dying  injunctions  and  last 
expressions  were  but  the  logical  sequences  of  a  life 
characterized  by  fidelity,  sincerity,  truth  and  magnan- 
imity, friendship  and  generosity.  The  following  notice 
of  his  death  and  obsequies  is  borrowed  from  Mr.  Ste- 
phens''s  Journal  of  Proceedings  : 

1739,  October  4th,  Thursday,  5th,  Friday,  6th,  Saturday. — 
So  little  intermission  was  found  these  few  days  from  attending 
the  general's  commands,  which  rather  multiplied  than  abated 
through  his  incessant  application,  that  the  most  material  thing 
which  happened  abroad  that,  I  thought  worth  noting,  was  the 
death  of  the  old  mico  Tomo-chi-chi,  said  to  be  upwards  of 
ninety  years  of  age.  And,  as  the  general  always  esteemed  him 
as  a  friend  of  the  colony,  and  therefore  showed  him  particular 
marks  of  his  esteem  when  living ;  so  he  distinguished  him  at 
his  death,  ordering  his  corpse  to  be  brought  down  ;  and  it  was 
buried  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  principal  squares,  the  general 
being  pleased  to  make  himself  one  of  his  pall-bearers,  with  five 
others,  among  whom  he  laid  his  commands  on  me  to  be  one, 
and  the  other  four  were  military  officers.  At  the  deposit- 
ing of  tha  corpse  seven  minute  guns  were  fired,  and  about  forty 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  121 

men  in  arms,  (as  many  as  could  instantly  be  found)  gave  three 
volleys  over  the  grave,  which  the  general  says  he  intends  to 
dignify  with  an  obelisk,  or  the  like,  over  it  as  an  ornament  to 
the  town,  and  a  memorial  to  the  Indians  how  great  regard  the 
English  would  pay  to  all  their  nations  who  maintain  true  friend- 
ship with  us.1 

A  far  more  interesting  and  satisfactory  account  of 
the  last  moments  and  sepulture  of  the  venerable  mico 
is  contained  in  the  following  letter  written  only  five 
days  after  his  lamented  demise : 

SAVANNAH  IN  GEORGIA,  Oct.-  10,  1739. 
King  Toma-chi-chi  died  on  the  5th,  at  his  own  town,  4  miles 
from  hence,  of  a  lingering  Illness,  being  aged  about  97.  He 
was  sensible  to  the  last  Minutes,  and  when  he  was  persuaded 
his  death  was  near  he  showed  the  greatest  Magnanimity  and 
Sedateness,  and  exhorted  his  People  never  to  forget  the  favours 
he  had  received  from  the  King  when  in  England,  but  to  per- 
severe in  their  Friendship  with  the  English.  He  expressed  the 
greatest  Tenderness  for  Gen.  Oglethorpe,  and  seemed  to  have 
no  Concern  at  dying  but  its  being  at  a  Time  when  his  Life 
might  be  useful  against  the  Spaniards.  He  desired  his  Body 
might  be  buried  amongst  the  English  in  the  Town  of  Savannah, 
since  it  was  he  that  had  prevailed  with  the  Creek  Indians  to 
give  the  Land,  and  had  assisted  in  the  founding  of  the  Town. 
The  Corpse  was  brought  down  by  Water.  The  General,  at- 
tended by  the  Magistrates  and  People  of  the  Town,  met  it 
upon  the  Water's  Edge.  The  Corpse  was  carried  into  Percival 
Square.  The  pall  was  supported  by  the  General,  Col"  Ste- 
phens, Col11  Montaigut,  Mr  Carteret,  Mr  Lemon,  and  Mr  Max- 
well. It  was  followed  by  the  Indians  and  Magistrates  and 
People  of  the  Town.  There  was  the  Respect  paid  of  firing 
Minute  Guns  from  the  Battery  all  the  time  during  the  Burial, 
and  funeral  —  firing  with  small  Arms  by  the  Militia,  who  were 
under  arms.  The  General  has  ordered  a  Pyramid  of  Stone, 


1  See  A  Journal  of  the  Proceedings  in  Georgia,  beginning  October 
20,  1737,  by  William  Stephens,  Esq.     London,  MDCCXLII,  n,  152,  153. 
16 


122  HISTORICAL  SKETCU 

which  is  dug  in  this  Neighbourhood,  to  be  erected  over  the  Grave, 
which  being  in  the  Centre  of  the  Town,  will  be  a  great  Orna- 
ment to  it,  as  well  as  testimony  of  Gratitude. 

Temo-chi-chi  was  a  Creek  Indian,  and  in  his  youth  a  great  War- 
riour.  He  had  an  excellent  Judgment  and  a  very  ready  Wit, 
which  showed  itself  in  his  Answers  on  all  Occasions.  He  was 
very  generous,  giving  away  all  the  rich  presents  he  received,  re- 
maining himself  in  a  wilful  Poverty,  being  more  pleased  in 
giving  to  others,  than  possessing  himself;  and  he  was  very  mild 
and  good  natured.1 

"Words,  spoken  during  those  supreme  moments  when 
the  soul  seems  trembling  upon  the  verge  of  the  eternal 
world,  command  special  attention,  and  are  invested 
with  peculiar  interest  when  they  are  the  last  utterances 
of  the  great  and  the  influential.  As  the  light  of  the 
planet  grows  more  lustrous  as  it  hangs  for  an  instant 
upon  the  brow  of  a  dark  and  engulphing  cloud,  so 
does  the  intellect  not  unfrequently  increase  in  the 
clearness  of  its  conceptions  and  grow  more  potent  in 
its  utterances  as  the  frail  body  is  sinking  into  decay 
and  absolute  dissolution.  The  hopes,  the  disappoint- 
ments, or  the  errors  of  a  whole  life  are  sometimes  con- 
veyed in  a  single  sentence.  A  breath  foreshadows  the 
wish  which  lies  nearest  the  heart,  the  joy  which  hal- 
lows the  present,  or  the  fear  which  invests  the  future 
with  something  terrible.  "While  the  closing  scenes  are 
not  always  the  logical  sequences  of  the  spent  life,  as  a 
general  rule  the  latest  exercises  of  the  mind  involve  the 
contemplation  of  matters  of  the  deepest  concern ;  and  we 
hearken  to  words  then  spoken,  as  to  the  sayings  of  one 
who  is  reviewing  the  past  in  the  opening  light  of  the 
great  hereafter.  Hence 

The  tongues  of  dying  men 
Enforce  attention  like  deep  harmony, 


1  Gentleman's  Magazine,  x,  129. 


OF  TOMO-CHLCHI.  123 

and  we  regard  that  record  as  incomplete  which  preter- 
mits the  story  of  their  deaths. 

The  dying  Napoleon  dreaming  of  battle  and  fancy- 
ing himself  still  at  the  head  of  his  armies, —  the  poi- 
soned Demosthenes  challenging  Archias  for  a  com- 
mencement of  the  part  of  Cleon  in  the  tragedy, —  the 
brave  Bertrand  Du  Guesclin  in  silence  and  in  tears 
embracing  his  constable's  sword  which  he  had  always 
wielded  with  an  honorable  and  a  victorious  arm,  and 
with  his  last  breath  cautioning  his  old  captains  to  re- 
member that  in  whatever  country  they  waged  war, 
churchmen,  women  and  children  were  never  their 
enemies, —  Epaminondas  delaying  the  extraction  of 
the  spear  head  from  his  mortal  wound  until  the 
memorable  battle  of  Mantinea  was  won,  and  then, 
when  the  shouts  of  victory  fell  upon  his  ear,  exclaim- 
ing as  he  tore  the  barbed  weapon  from  his  side;  "I 
have  lived  long  enough  since  I  die  unconquered,"  — 
Haydn  expending  his  feeble  voice  in  singing  "  God 
save  the  Emperor,"  while  the  French  armies  were 
thundering  by  his  garden, —  Klopstock  rendering  his 
death  chamber  vocal  with  the  sublime  strains  of  his 
own  "  Messiah," —  Mozart  deriving  supreme  solace 
and  delight  from  his  wonderful  "Requiem," — the  con- 
secrated memories  which  cluster  about  the  last  words 
of  Ascham,  and  Addison,  and  Luther,  and  Cromwell, 
and  Laud,  and  Knox,  and  Hampden,  and  Buonarotti, — 
the  final  scintillations  of  intelligence  in  those  who  have 
swayed  the  sceptre  alike  of  thought  and  empire, —  the 
inspirations  of  dying  painters  and  poets,  and  men 
skilled  in  the  profound  secrets  of  nature, —  the  calm 
composure  with,  which  saintly  men  have  accepted  the 
"  crown  of  martyrdom,"  and  the  air  of  unshaken  con- 
stancy with  which  brave  men  have  confronted  the  last 
enemy, —  the  sublime  courage  and  heroic  faith  with 


124  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

which  weak  women  also  have  met  death,  these  all  in- 
spire us  with  confidence,  fill  us  with  awe,  furnish  les- 
sons of  special  moment,  and  awaken  emotions  which 
dwell  ever  with  us. 

Although  the  memories  bequeathed  by  the  closing 
scenes  in  the  life  of  the  aged  rnico  are  few  and  un im- 
posing in  their  character,  they  are  nevertheless  pleas- 
ing, and  afford  additional  reasons  why  his  name  and 
deeds  should  be  cherished  in  grateful  recollection. 

His  dying  injunctions  placed  a  seal  of  consecration 
upon  the  professions  and  acts  which  had  characterized 
his  intercourse  with  the  colonists.  For  himself  he 
expressed  no  concern :  but  for  his  friends  at  Savan- 
nah,— few  in  number  and  battling  with  poverty  and  the 
diseases  incident  to  the  climate,  threatened  with  most 
serious  molestation  by  the  Spaniards,  and  still  depend- 
ent in  great  degree  for  their  existence  upon  the  good- 
will of  the  natives, —  he  manifested  every  solicitude. 
With  his  latest  breath  avowing  his  regard  and  affec- 
tion for  Gov.  Oglethorpe,  encouraging  his  people  to 
cherish  in  lively  remembrance  the  kindnesses  which 
he  had  experienced  from  the  king  during  his  visit  to 
England,  and  counseling  them  to  persevere  in  their 
friendship  for  the  whites,  he  gave  the  highest  proof 
of  his  preference  for  a  superior  civilization  and  of  his 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  colonists  when  he  de- 
sired that  his  body  might  be  buried  among  his  friends, 
the  English,  in  Savannah. 

The  selection  of  this  spot  as  his  last  resting  place 
was  most  appropriate  and  fortunate;  appropriate,  be- 
cause through  his  intervention  the  settlement  had  been 
peaceably  effected,  and  the  growth  of  Savannah  shielded 
from  those  retarding  enmities  of  powerful  tribes  whose 
determined  opposition  would  have  surely  accomplished 
the  early  and  utter  destruction  of  the  colony.  Tomo- 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CHI.  125 

chi-chi  might  almost  have  claimed  that  town  as  the 
offspring  of  his  fostering  care.  It  was  fortunate,  be- 
cause his  grave  in  the  heart  of  the  village  would  hal- 
low the  recollections  of  his  acknowledged  devotion  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  colonists,  perpetuating  even 
in  death  the  remembrance  of  his  friendship  for  the 
whites,  and  his  admiration  of  the  superior  civilization 
which  they  enjoyed,  and  would  serve  to  remind  his 
countrymen  of  the  lessons  of  amity  which  he  had  al- 
ways inculcated.  In  the  appreciation  of  the  Indians 
the  graves  of  their  dead  were  invested  with  peculiar 
sanctity  and  guarded  with  ceaseless  care.  The  last 
resting  places  of  their  chiefs  claimed  general  attention, 
never  losing  either  their  distinctive  memories  or  the 
tribal  regard  to  which  they  were  entitled  by  common 
consent.  The  reasons  why  this  special  respect  was 
paid  to  the  bones  of  their  departed  are  thus  stated  by 
the  Viscount  De  Chateaubriand.1  "  The  motives  of  this 
attachment  to  sacred  relics  may  easily  be  discovered. 
Civilized  nations  have  monuments  of  literature  and  the 
arts  for  memorials  of  their  country ;  they  have  cities, 
palaces,  towers,  columns,  obelisks ;  they  have  the  fur- 
rows of  the  plough  in  the  fields  cultivated  by  them ; 
their  names  are  engraven  in  brass  and  marble ;  their 
actions  are  recorded  in  their  chronicles.  The  savages 
have  none  of  these  things :  their  names  are  not  in- 
scribed on  the  trees  of  their  forests;  their  huts,  built 
in  a  few  hours,  perish  in  a  few  moments;  the  wooden 
spade  with  which  they  till  the  soil  has  but  just  skim- 
med its  surface,  without  being  capable  of  turning  up 
a  furrow;  their  traditional  songs  are  vanishing  with 
the  last  memory  which  retains,  with  the  last  voice 
which  repeats  them.  For  the  tribes  of  the  new  world 


1  Travels  in  America  and  Italy,  i,  215. 


126  HISTORICAL  SKETCH 

there  is  therefore  but  a  single  monument  —  the  grave. 
Take  from  the  savages  the  bones  of  their  fathers,  and 
you  take  from  them  their  history,  their  laws  and  their 
very  gods." 

Surely  the  highest  proof  that  the  aged  mico  could 
give  of  his  abiding  affection  for  his  friends  the  whites, 
was  the  dying  request  that  his  body  might  be  buried 
amongst  them.  The  sequel  shows  that  the  influence 
of  this  act  of  confidence  and  final  trust  lingered  in  the 
recollection  of  his  people  long  after  his  bones  had 
mingled  with  the  sands  of  Savannah.  Every  respect 
and  the  proudest  funeral  honors  were  paid  to  this  early 
and  fast  friend  of  the  colony.  The  governor  and  the 
most  noted  men  of  the  city  bore  him  to  his  grave;  —  a 
grave  not  located  in  a  spot  designated  for  the  general 
dead,  but  prepared  in  Percival  square.  On  every 
hand  the  citizens  assembled  to  testify  the  universal 
sorrow,  while  minute  guns  from  the  batteries  gave 
marked  token  of  the  public  respect.  Nothing  was 
omitted  which  could  evidence  the  profound  esteem 
and  grief  of  the  entire  community. 

More  than  a  century  and  a  quarter  has  elapsed  since 
those  funeral  honors  were  paid ;  and  the  monument 
ordered  by  Gen.  Oglethorpe  has  never  been  erected. 
Even  the  precise  spot  where  this  Indian  chief  was 
interred  has  passed  from  the  recollection  of  the  thou- 
sands who  daily  throng  the  streets  and  loiter  among 
the  parks  of  the  beautiful  city  of  Savannah.  Neither 
street,  nor  public  square  perpetuates  his  name,  and 
his  memory  scarce  lives  in  occasional  remembrance. 
This  should  not  be.  Ingratitude,  alike  in  communi- 
ties and  individuals,  is  a  grievous  fault ;  and  it  is  earn- 
estly hoped,  for  the  sake  of  her  good  name,  in  response 
to  the  express  wish  of  Gen.  Oglethorpe,  and  as  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  she  owes 


OF  TOMO-CHI-CH1. 


127 


to  this  noted  Indian,  that  the  city  of  Savannah, —  itself 
a  living  witness  of  the  enterprise,  courage,  and  taste  of 
the  founder  of  the  colony  of  Georgia, —  a  city  which 
has  rendered  such  signal  tribute  to  the  memories  of 
Greene  and  Pulaski,  will,  at  no  distant  day,  cause  to 
be  erected  in  one  of  her  high  places  a  suitable  monu- 
ment in  honorable  appreciation  of  the  virtues  and  the 
valuable  services  of  the  venerable  Tomo-chi-chi. 


INDEX. 


Addison,  123. 
Alatamaha,  river,  31,  50. 
Aldborough,  58. 
Amelia  island,  82. 
Auaxagoras,  104. 
Anne,  12,  13. 
Apakoutski,  58. 
Apalaches,  39. 
Apollonius,  105. 
Archias,  123. 
Ascham,  123. 

Bartram,  William,  40  ;  description 
of  Georgia  Indians  by,  49. 

Beaufort,  14. 

Bocachee,  19. 

Bosom  worth,  Mary,  21,  et  seq. 

Bosom  worth,  Thomas,  21,  et  seq. 

Bolzius,  Rev.  Mr.,  description  of 
Georgia  Indians  by,  46,  48. 

Bull,  Mr.,  13. 

Canterbury,  Archbishop  of,  67 ;  in- 
terview with  Tomo-chi-chi,  67. 

Carolina  boatman,  54. 

Catawbas,  40. 

Chactaws,  49,  50. 

Chateaubriand,  Viscount  De,  123. 

Chattahoochee,  50. 

Cheehaws,  28. 

Cherokee  chief,  hieroglyphic  letter 
of,  74,  75. 

Cherokees,  48. 

Chickasaws,  49,  50. 

Chutabeeche,  28. 

Coowoo,  28. 

Cotterell,  Sir  Clement,  63. 

Coweta,  convention  of  Indian  tribes 
at,  117,  119. 

Creek  Confederacy,  38,  et  seq. 

Creeks,  their  memories,  51;  organic 
remains  of,  52,  53 ;  no  know- 
ledge of  metals,  52  ;  not  idol- 
worshipers,  52;  confirm  grants 
of  land  to  colonists,  77. 

17 


Creeks,  Lower,  military  power  of, 

38. 
Creeks,  Upper,  militarv  power  of, 

38,  53. 

Cromwell,  123. 
Cumberland  island,  82. 
Cussetas,  28. 
Cusseta,  inico,  28. 

D'Arcy,  Don  Manuel.  90. 
Darien,  76,  77,  88. 
De  Brahm,  37,  56. 
Demosthenes,  123. 
Dempsey,  Charles,  80, 90. 
Du  Guesclin,  Bertrand,  123. 
Dunbar,  Capt.    George,  describes 

return  voyage  of  Tomo-chi-chi 

to  Georgia,  72. 
Dutry,  Lady,  66. 
Dying  expressions,  122,  123. 

Echetas,  28. 
Epaminondas,  123. 
Epicurus,  105. 
Essoboa,  28. 
Eton  College,  67. 
Etowah,  52. 
Eufaule,  28. 

Figeer,  28. 

Fonseka,  54,  55. 

Foskey,118. 

Fort,  St.  George,  90,  91, 95. 

Frederica,  76,  79. 

Gallatin,  Albert,  37,  39. 

Gascoigne,  Capt.,  90,  91. 

Georgia,  charter  for  the  colony  of, 
obtained,  9 ;  motto  of  the 
province  of,  10  ;  inducements 
influencing  colonization  of, 
10 ;  territory,  11 ;  first  settlers 
of,  12  ;  position  and  dangers 
of  the  colony  of,  15  ;  descrip- 
tion of  the  Indians  of,  42-48. 


130 


INDEX. 


Gillatee,  28. 
Grafton,  duke  of,  64. 

Hampden,  123. 

Hampton  court,  68. 

Hawk,  90,  91. 

Haydn,  123. 

Hewitt,  Rev.  Mr.,  57. 

Hillispilli,58 ;  demands  satisfaction 

from  Spanish  commissioners, 

92  ;  address  of,  to  Don  Pedro. 

93. 

Hinguithi,  58. 
Hitchittes,  38. 
Hodgson,  Wm.  B.,  description  of 

Creek  Confederacy,  40. 
Horton,  Mr.,  81,  90. 

Idol-worship  not  practiced  among 
the  Creeks,  52. 

Illispelle,  30. 

Indian  chief,  death  and  burial  of, 
in  England,  65,  66. 

Indian  dance,  85. 

Indian  felo-de-se,  55. 

Indian  mound,  55,  56. 

Indians  of  Georgia,  description  of, 
by  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  42, 45  ;  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Bolzius,  46 ;  by 
Wm.  Bartram,  49  ;  locations, 
habits  and  organic  remains 
of,  50,  et  seq.  ;  their  belief  in 
a  future  state,  108,  109  ;  love 
for  the  graves  of  their  chiefs, 
125. 

Irene,  96. 

Isundiga,  41. 

Jekyl  island,  81,  91. 
Johnson,  Robert,  13,  19. 
Jones,  Capt.  Noble,  22,  25. 
Juvenal,  105. 

Kensington  palace,  63. 
Kleinsmidt,  20. 
Klopstock,  123. 
Knox,  123. 

Lamberto,  Don  Pedro  De,  90,  92. 

Lambeth.  67. 

Laud,  123. 

Lower  Creeks,  27. 

Lynch,  Dr.,  67. 

Luther,  123. 

Mackay,  Capt.  Hugh,  Jr.,  76,  81, 91. 
Malatchee,  21,  24,  25. 


Matthews,  Mrs.,  112. 
Mclntosh,  Capt.,  77. 
Monument  in  honor  of  Tomo-chi- 

chi,  127. 
Moravians,  history  of,  in  Georgia, 

96. 

Mounds,  51. 
Mozart,  123. 

Muscogulges,49  ;  women  of  the,  50. 
Musgrove,  John,  28,  et  seq. 
Musjrrove,  Mary,  28,  et  seq. 
Muskhogees,  39. 

Nai>oleon,  123. 
Natches,  39. 
Neathlouthko,  28. 

O'Conas,  17,  28. 

Ode  to  Tomo-chi-chi,  60,  et  seq. 

Ogeechee,  51. 

Ogeese,  mico,  28. 

Oglethorpe,  James,  9  ;  induces  the 
colonization  of  Georgia,  11  ; 
embarks  with  first  colonists, 
13  ;  describes  location  of  colo- 
nists at  Savannah,  13 ;  his 
qualifications  and  character, 
15,  16  ;  first  interview  with 
Tomo-chi-chi,  20-24 ;  calls  a 
convention  of  the  Lower 
Creeks,  26,  27  ;  visits  Carolina, 
27  ;  returns  to  Savannah,  27  ; 
interview  with  delegates  from 
the  Creek  Confederacy,  28,  et 
seq. ;  distributes  presents 
among  the  Indians,  31,  36 ; 
description  of  Georgia  Indians 
by,  42-45  ;  his  influence  with 
the  Indians,  50 ;  arbitrates 
dispute,  54  ;  invites  Tomo-chi- 
chi  to  accompany  him  to  Eng- 
land, 58  ;  arrival  and  reception 
in  England,  59 ;  entertains 
Indians  at  his  country-seat, 
66 ;  returns  to  Georgia,  75 ; 
welcomed  by  Tomo-chi-chi, 
75,  76  ;  settles  complaints  of 
the  Uchees,  77  ;  locates  new 
colonists  at  Frederica,  78 ; 
waited  upon  by  Tomo-chi-chi, 
79,  80 ;  expedition  to  the  St. 
John's  river,  82,  et  seq.;  dis- 
tributes presents  among  the 
Indian**,  86  ;  advised  of  a  pur- 
posed attack  upon  Frederica 
by  the  Spaniards,  87  ;  adopts 
precautionary  measures,  88, 


INDEX. 


131 


Ogletliorpe,  James,  continued  — 
89  ;  visits  Fort  St.  George,  90 ; 
entertains  Spanish  commis- 
sioners, 92 ;  demands  satisfac- 
tion for  insult  offered  to  In- 
dians, 93  ;  returns  to  Savan- 
nah, 95 ;  annoyed  at  the  con- 
duct of  Rev.  John  Wesley,  98, 
99,  104 ;  conversation  with 
Tomo-chi-chi  on  the  subject 
of  prayer,  105 ;  returns  to 
England,  113  ;  raises  a  regi- 
ment for  the  defense  of 
Georgia,  113 ;  arrives  at  Frede- 
rica,  113,  114 ;  waited  upon 
by  a  deputation  of  Upper  and 
Lower  Creeks,  114  ;  visits  Sa- 
vannah, 114;  receives  delega- 
tion of  Indians  headed  by 
Tomo-chi-chi,  115  ;  accepts 
invitation  to  visit  Coweta,  115  ; 
letter  explaining  the  necessity 
for  this  visit,  116  ;  his  journey 
to  Coweta,  117  ;  his  reception 
there,  118  ;  result  of  the  con- 
ference, 118,  119 ;  funeral 
honors  extended  to  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  120,  121 ;  attends  funeral 
of  Tomo-chi-chi  as  a  pall- 
bearer, 121 ;  directs  monument 
to  be  erected  over  his  grave, 
121. 

Oostenaulla,  52. 

Organic  remains  of  the  Creeks,  50, 
51. 

Ossabau  island,  32. 

Oueekachumpa,  17,  20,  28. 

Ougachi,  28. 

Outhleteboa,  mico,  28. 

Owseecheys,  28. 

Pallachucolas,  19,  28,  41. 
Pally-Chuckola  creek,  32. 
Percival  square,  Tomo-chi-chi  bu- 
ried in,  123. 
Periagua,  80. 
Pipe-maker's  bluff,  32. 
Pohoia,  93. 

Port-Royal  harbor,  13. 
Poyeechy,  83. 
Purcival,  Lord  Viscount,  9. 
Putney,  66. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  56,  57. 
Richards,  Major,  80,  85,  86-90. 
Robin,  28. 


Sapelo  island,  32. 

Savannah,  Mr.  Oglethorpe's  de- 
scription of  the  first  settle- 
ment at,  14,  24 ;  convention 
of  Lower  Creeks  at,  27,  et  seq. 

Savanuccas,  49. 

Sauvanogee,  41. 

Scenauki,  wife  of  Tomo-chi-chi,  57, 
76 ;  interview  with  Rev.  Mr. 
John  Wesley,  103, 107. 

Schedule  of  prices,  35. 

Seminoles,  37,  48,  49. 

Shawnees,  41. 

Sintouchi,  58. 

Spalding,  Mr.  Thomas,  79,  119. 

Socrates,  105. 

Soota-milla,  28. 

South  Carolina,  11,  12. 

Speech  of  Tomo-chi-chi  to  Mr. 
Ogletliorpe,  29  ;  to  the  king, 
64  ;  to  the  queen,  65. 

St.  Andrews,  82. 

St.  Catharine  island,  32. 

St.  John's  river,  83. 

St.  Simon's  island,  78. 

Stephens,  William,  21,23  ;  speech 
of,  24 ;  account  of  Tomo-chi- 
chi's  alienation  of  his  lands  at 
Yamacraw,  112 ;  notice  of  the 
death  and  sepulture  of  Tomo- 
chi-chi,  120,  121. 

Stimalchi,  58. 

Stimoiche,  30. 

Tatchiquatchi,  28. 

Thlautho-thlukee,  28. 

Tomaumi,  28. 

Tomo-chi-chi,  earliest  notice  of,  16  ; 
various  ways  in  which  his 
name  is  spelt,  16  ;  character 
and  personal  appearance  of, 
17  ;  banished  by  the  Lower 
Creeks,  17  ;  locates  at  Yama- 
craw, 18  ;  portrait  of,  20  ;  noble 
in  his  connections,  20 ;  first 
interview  with  Ogletliorpe, 
20-24 ;  pledges  the  friendship 
of  his  tribe,  23  ;  extends  invi- 
tation to  the  chiefs  of  the  Low- 
er Creeks,  to  meet  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  at  Savannah,  26, 27, 28  ; 
speech  of,  to  Mr.  Ogletliorpe, 
29,  30  ;  invites  Indian  dele- 
gates to  his  town,  and  enter- 
tains them  there,  31,  36  ;  life 
at  Yamacraw,  57  ;  attachment 
between  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and 


132 


INDEX. 


Tomo  clii-chi,  continued  — 

himself,  54  ;  anecdote  of,  55  ; 
Fonseka,  55 ;  acquaints  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  with  the  tradition 
respecting  Sir  Walter  Ra- 
leigh's visit  to  the  Georgia 
coast,  56;  accompanies  Ogle- 
thorpe to  England,  58.51) ;  ode 
to,  60,  et  seq.;  lodges  at  (ieor 
gia  office,  63 ;  presented  to  the 
king  at  Kensington  palace, 
63  ;  speech  of,  to  the  king,  64  ; 
the  king's  reply,  64  :  address 
of,  to  the  queen,  65 ;  attends 
funeral  of  the  Indian  chief, 
who  died  of  small-pox  in  Lon- 
don, 65  ;  entertained  by  the 
Lady  Dutry,  66  ;  his  remarks 
to  her,  66  ;  interview  with  the 
archbishop  of  Canterbury,  67  ; 
with  Dr.Lynch,  67 ;  visits  Eton 
College,  67;  Windsor,  68; 
St.  George's  chapel,  68  ;  Hamp- 
ton court,  68  ;  impressions  of 
London  and  its  environs,  68  ; 
civilities  extended  to  him  in 
England,  69  ;  final  interview 
with  the  trustees,  69,  70 ;  pre- 
sents received  by,  70 ;  portrait 
painted,  70  ;  returns  to  Geor- 
gia, 71 ;  effect  of  his  visit  upon 
the  Indian  tribes,  73-76  ;  favor- 
able reports  of  English  hospi- 
tality, 74,  75 ;  welcomes  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  on  his  return,  75 ; 
furnishes  guides  to  construct 
road  to  Darien,  76 ;  formal 
visit  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  76; 
interview  with  liev.'  John 
Wesley,  76  ;  waits  upon  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  at  Frederica,  to 
point  out  the  boundaries  of 
lands  ceded  by  the  Creeks, 
79  ;  serio-comic  adventure  of, 
81,  ft  seq.;  assists  in  military 
defense  of  St.  Simon's  island, 
88  ;  returns  to  Yamacraw  for 
reenforcements,  89 ;  accompa- 
nies Mr.  Oglethorpe  to  Fort 
St.  George,  90  ;  with  difficulty 
restrained  by  Mr.  Oglethorpe 
from  attacking  launch  con- 
taing  Spanish  commissioners, 
92  ;  demands  satisfaction  from 
Spanish  commissioners,  for 
injuries  inflicted  upon  his 
people,  93 ;  returns  to  Yama- 


Tomo-chi-chi,  continued  — 

craw,  1)5  ;  questions  the;  reli- 
gion of  the  colonists,  91),  100 ; 
first  interview  with  Rev.  John 
Wesley,  100-102;  second  in- 
terview, 103;  conversation 
with  Mr.  Wesley  at  the  table 
of  Mr.  Oglethorpe.  104  ;  inter- 
view and  conversation  with 
Mr.  Oglethorpe,  regarding 
prayer,  105;  interview  with 
Mr.  Whitefield,  107 ;  religious 
and  moral  views  of,  108-111 ; 
disposes  of  his  possessions  at 
Yamacraw,  112  ;  formal  aliena- 
tion, 112, 113  ;  welcomes  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  upon  his  return 
to  Savannah,  114  ;  waits  upon 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  at  the  head  of 
a  deputation  of  Indians,  115  ; 
interview,  115  ;  counsels  Mr. 
Oglethorpe  to  attend  the  gene- 
ral convocation  of  the  Indians 
at  Coweta,  116,  119;  last  ill- 
ness of,  120  ;  Mr.  Stephens' 
notice  of  his  death,  and  burial, 
120,  121 ;  letter  from  Savan- 
nah descriptive  of  his  death, 
last  wishes,  funeral  and  sepul- 
ture, 121  ;  his  dying  injunc- 
tions, 121  ;  pall-bearers,  121  ; 
funeral  honors,  121-126  ;  in- 
terred in  Percival  square,  121  ; 
reflections  upon  the  place  of 
his  sepulture,  124,  125 ;  no 
monument  to  his  memory, 
127. 

Toonahowi,  20,  57  ;  portrait  of,  70  ; 
gold  watch  presented  to,  by 
Prince  William,  71,  79,  82, 
107  ;  accompanies  Oglethorpe 
in  his  expedition  against  St. 
Augustine,  107  ;  captures  Don 
Romualdo  Ruiz  del  Moral, 
107  ;  gallant  conduct  of,  dur- 
ing Spanish  attack  upon  St. 
Simon's  island,  108 ;  killed, 
108. 

Treaty  of  amity  and  commerce 
between  Mr.  Oglethorpe  and 
the  Lower  Creeks,  31,  32  ; 
formal  ratification  of,  by  the 
trustees,  33,  36. 

Tumuli,  50,  51. 

Uchees,  26,  military  power  of,  38, 
39,  41,  49,  53. 


INDEX. 


133 


Umpeachy,  83. 
Umphichi,  58. 

Verilst,  20. 

Wesley,  Rev.  Charles,  76. 

Wesley,  Rev.  John,  great  hopes 
entertained  of  his  mission  to 
the  Indians,  98  ;  his  conduct 
prejudicial  to  good  order,  98 ; 
first  interview  with  Tomo-chi- 
chi,  101,  103 ;  second  inter- 
view, 103 ;  conversation  with 
Tomo-chi-chi,  at  Gov.  Ogle- 
thorpe's  table,  104. 


Whitefield,  Rev.  George,  interview 

with  Tomo-chi-chi,  107. 
Wiggan,  27,  28. 
Wilson,  Rev.  Dr.,  74. 
Windsor,  68. 
Wissoo  island,  81. 


Yahou-Lakee,  28 ;  speech  of,  to  Mr. 

Oglethorpe,  30. 
Yamasees,  30,  39,  42,  50. 
Yamacraws,  26,  39. 


Zinzendorf,  count,  97. 


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